Is this Reality?
by 9thstar
Summary: A naruto fan dies and somehow finds themself in a five-year-old Sasuke Uchiha's body. What happens next is complete chaos, flirting, and killing the plot ten times over. Screw Konoha, this Sasuke wants to explore everything this wonderful world has to offer. Now featuring Itachi's decline into insanity!
1. Chapter 1

This story was brought on by a rare moment of motivation, and the fact that I love characters or Self-inserts that replace cannon characters and fuck with everyone. Google search has failed me, and I can't seem to find any that I'm looking for, so I made a Sasuke one.

The POV changes sometimes. It's mostly just between Sasuke and Itachi for now, maybe Shisui later on.

Flashbacks or direct inner thoughts in 3rd person are italic. Bold is usually Biju or Zetsu speaking, otherworldly creatures, etc.

I do not own Naruto, I just toy with the characters.

**Warning; Existential crisis, swearing, a dash of the funnies, Chibi Shikamaru and the start of a beautiful best-friendship.**

_Enjoy_

**_Edited 1/2/2020 - Revised chapter and added a few details. Made it flow more easily._**

**_Edited 1/20/2020 - Added Omake at the end of the chapter._**

* * *

_"All good stories start with character quotes at the beginning and end." - Me_

* * *

So, I think I died, pretty sure of it actually.

My death was a letdown, to be honest. So, I was playing Barbies in my room, minding my own business, when nature called. So, I left the room to use the bathroom downstairs. I slipped on a conveniently placed lego. Now, I'm not going to point any fingers, but it was clearly my younger sister's fault for playing on the stairs. I fell, tumbling down the stairs, and crashing into my sister. The impact sent her off the edge of the stairs, making her fall into the office which leads directly from them. I fell a few more times at awkward angles until a felt something snap and everything went dark.

I broke my neck on some stairs.

Pretty pathetic right?

I have no clue how my sister is doing, I hope she's ok and didn't accidentally take her out with me. I don't need my sibling's death on my conscience after all. I felt the expected cold, calmness, and an almost falling sensation. At least, that's how some people think it's like to die, and they'd be right. Suddenly I felt a sharp tugging sensation and blinding light. Naturally, I didn't want to go towards the light, since that's what everybody else does. Just to spite them(and because I was still pissy at my really stupid death.), I resisted it. I quickly realized that the tugging sensation was trying to pull me opposite to the light. So shrugging, flipping the tunnel off even though I didn't think I had hands, I willingly let myself be pulled away. _Pain! ow-ow ow-_

I woke in a cold sweat, gulping in mouthfuls of air. I struggled to calm my breaths while the room around me spun. My breathing slowed down as my senses woke up, everything Tingley and- _my skin feels tight. Wow, that's really uncomfortable_. I gripped the blankets that were on me, "Just a dream?" I winced when my voice came out raspy. I sat there for a moment before it dawned on me that my voice, wasn't _my_ voice, eyes widening at the realization. It didn't help that my body felt completely different, and I was in a room that I _didn't recognize_. I swept my black bangs out of my face, hair messy from sleeping, and sticking up in dark spikes. Wait… _Black bangs?_ _Hold the phone-_. I jumped out of bed with the speed of a workout addict on crack and stood in the middle of the, daresay, dull bedroom. I noticed off to the side a door open to a bathroom, and promptly dashed inside and closed the door. I was much, _much_ shorter than I was before, like a small child... _oh shit._

Luckily, there was a step stool propped up against the counter. I climbed up on it and looked at myself in the mirror.

The face of Sasuke Uchiha stared back, looking very much like he did in the anime, but smaller. I just gawked, and my reflection gawked back. I brought a hand up and touched my face, pulled my hair_(owie)_, and tugged my cheeks, scowling at the present baby fat. No doubt about it, everything felt very much real. "So I died and became Sasuke? A fictional character in a manga full of ninja wizards and creepy plant men obsessed with their mom." I muttered, My voice still held a slight rasp from dehydration and sleep. Licking my lips, I turned on the water and wet my face, then dry it with a towel hanging on a rack nearby. I studied my reflection, the same duckbutt hair, but still quite young. If I had to guess I was roughly around five years old.

Clicking my tongue I did this weird cross between a grimace and a grin. After all, I wasn't dead, and reborn or whatever in _fucking Naruto_. Well, not reborn I suppose, since I wasn't a baby (thankfully, otherwise I would've strangled whatever higher power put me here with my bare, kiddy hands). Suddenly I felt dizzy and gasped when a flood of memories hit me all at once like a freight train. I groaned and clutched my head, suddenly remembering what Sasuke did today and a few seemingly noteworthy memories of the past few weeks. I massaged my temples, the pounding in my head receding almost as quickly as it came.

So, I do believe that Sasuke is five like I guestimated. It would have been _effort_ on my part to try and figure out which point in the timeline I was at, though luckily Sasuke's birthday was yesterday. Nothing screams 'five years old' like a memory clear as crystal. So, that would leave give or take two years till the massacre, maybe three. I paused at that little tidbit, one simply couldn't forget everyone's beloved edgy e-boy's backstory. Slowly, I tried sorting through my memories from my old life, and the few that the higher powers' granted me in this new one. I dwelled on a few things, like how memories from before are now fuzzy and uncertain, while Naruto knowledge seems engrained into my memory in their absence. Jeez, it's so odd to be able to disregard my old life(_which ended like, a few minutes before, seriously._) easily for this new one. Now that I was Sasuke, I was essentially one of the main characters, one that had a lot of responsibilities. _Not that I would try to fulfill those by being an emo prick_.

I outwardly groaned at that. Couldn't I have just been some other less influential character? Even Sakura? Wait, no, I take that back. I don't want an inborn talent for ugly crying. Still, that means Orochimaru is going to be after my ass. Sighing, I accepted my fate begrudgingly. I mean, I can make the most of it I suppose, since I don't have plans for dying a second time after all. letting my hands fall to their sides, I hopped off the stool and onto the tiled floor. Wandering my way back to my new bedroom again, I reviewed the most I knew about this work in my head. I still needed to work out a few things I supposed, Though I now have what could be considered a goal. I wouldn't be the dick that Sasuke was in the show/manga, and I would try to aim for a better outcome. Simple, right?_ Fuck._

I paced my room, now, how would I handle this moving forward? I suppose I should try to follow the main storyline as much as I can, so things still happen roughly the same. Not like I could stop Tobi or any of the Akatsuki for that matter and change their plans in the slightest, and on purpose as I was now. I was sure if anyone found out about my knowledge I'd be screwed sideways, backward, and upsidedown. I tilted my head, looking up at the ceiling, eyeing a huge Uchiwa painted there. But, besides that, I think it might be a safe bet to assume that things might be very different than cannon already. I couldn't just assume I was alone here in this world, or that this was the original and not some crazy alternate universe. Whatever choices I made would benefit from being a ninja wizard, so that was my top priority at the moment.

Other than that, I would just go with the flow. Get to S rank, then use my power to shred the original plot to ribbons. I would make a list of my plans later, possibly in a frilly pink notebook. I nodded solemnly, yes, that would be fine for now. It's not like I was even training much yet, so I might as well study and try to master chakra control exercises, as well as Katas, so I could stomp all the other kiddies when I joined the academy. I scanned the room and skipped over to my bedside table to pick up a loose scrap of paper. Grinning, I felt for that tingly feeling in my gut that I've become aware of since I woke up here. Training was gonna be interesting, Afterall, at least it's not high school math.

* * *

_~Cue one obsessive leaf/paper sticking montage later.~_

"_Nii-san!_" the small boy called for his older brother, making Itachi look behind his shoulder from his spot on the porch to acknowledge him. "Otouto," Sasuke came to a stop next to his brother, breathing slightly labored and a look of triumph on his face. Itachi raised an eyebrow, his brother had been taking a nap for a few hours.

Wondering what got him so excited, Itachi indulged him. "What is it Sasuke?" Sasuke only grinned wider and reached into his pocket, pulling out a leaf. He placed it on his forehead, concentrated for a few seconds, and it stuck. Sasuke lowered his hands slowly, biting his lip in concentration. "Itachi-nii, look at what I can do." Itachi's eyes widened slightly, surprised that Sasuke had already gotten a handle on the leaf exercise before joining the academy.

Sasuke giggled and did a little spin, the leaf still sticking to his head. Itachi stood and ruffled Sasuke's hair, making him groan and drop the leaf. "Itachi!" He said with a pout, making a flicker of a smile appear on Itachi's face. It was gone when Itachi's expression wavered slightly. Mulling over the thought that Sasuke was learning so quickly.

"Foolish Otouto. The academy isn't going anywhere." He said lightheartedly, poking Sasuke's forehead. Sasuke whispered something under his breath, akin to 'The weasel poke.' if Itachi wasn't mistaken.

"I know Itachi-nii, it's just that I want to get a headstart on my training so I can become a great ninja," Sasuke explained while rubbing his head slightly, Itachi chuckled. "There's plenty of time Otouto."

* * *

_Later; That Night_

Once everyone was asleep, I snuck out of my room and to Itachi's, footsteps silent. Despite not being exactly Sasuke, hah, what a joke. Some cosmic force kicked him out and dropped me into his body with only a handful of memories and feelings to avoid a cozy trip to TIA. They filled me with warmth, love towards my new family, and of course, Itachi. Itachi was already one of my favorite characters and considering my unique situation, I seem to have developed an attachment to him. I trust him, despite literally knowing him for a few hours at best.

Strangely, I felt that I was both part Sasuke; the endearing and loving younger brother, and my previous self. Honestly, at this point, I'm not even sure if the 'real' Sasuke is gone or not. Or maybe I actually am destined to be reincarnated as him but the higher powers fucked up and I remember a past life. Whatever the case, I'm gonna enjoy this second childhood as much as possible, before the massacre happens and strips whatever remained of my innocence away. I hovered outside of his door, debating on whether or not to actually go in. I knew that Sasuke- _I_, would sometimes have nightmares and sneak into Itachi's bed for comfort.

In my previous life, I was a very affectionate person, and I'll give the clan hell if they try to stop me from showing my new family strange affections. I was going to change everyone's opinions about me really quick but decided that for now I had Itachi, and it was already long overdue for some good ole' PDA. _Well, if you count in his bedroom at night a public display of affection. I mean, yeah, I clung to him when I finally found him after I woke up, but still._

Besides all that, I hate being alone, and waking up in a previously-thought fictional world doesn't help my lacking mental stability. I slid open the door cautiously and slowly, tiptoeing into the room. Surprisingly, Itachi looked asleep, until he shifted in his sheets and opened his eyes slowly to meet my gaze. "Nii-san, I don't want to sleep alone…" I said quietly, my voice cracking on its own accord. Tears pricked my eyes, _damn kiddy lack of emotional control_.

Of course, I _really_ felt like crying because of the recent stress of everything. I was trapped here at least until I died again, and then everything about this world being as cruel as it is, well, it's not like I don't realize what I'm going to do will probably kill me. But screw that shit, I'll do what I want. I'll flip off Konoha soon enough when I eventually leave with Orochimaru anyway, or the Akatsuki, whichever comes to pass. Itachi sighed, before lifting the covers with one hand.

Taking that as an invitation, I stumbled over to his bed in the dark and crawled in, latching onto Itachi's side like a Koala. "Go to sleep Otouto," He mumbled, settling back into the covers.

"Mkay," I mumbled tiredly into his side, suppressing a smirk at my victory. He just sighed again then it went quiet, with nothing but the sound of our breathing. I closed my eyes and felt myself drifting off, but not before catching a quiet whisper.

"I love you Sasuke."

I smiled against him, breathing out a content sigh, "I love you too." I mumbled.

_I felt a sharp pain in my heart. I wasn't the Sasuke he knew yesterday._

* * *

_Day 3_

I sat in my room on the floor, trying to hold leaves on all my fingers, and utterly failing. To stick them to any part of your body, required decent chakra control, something which I just started developing two days ago. Controlling a steady stream of chakra that wasn't too little(else it wouldn't work), and not too much(it would push it off. Hmm, I just thought of something. What if someone used chakra control to cover their unmentionables while they wore scandalous clothing? So it required your control to be second nature else you'd expose yourself to the whole world. Do ninja do that sort of thing? That thought made me chuckle, maybe I would try it sometime when I was older, behind closed doors of course. I don't think literally anyone except my future fangirls would enjoy that.

I cringed, ah yes, fangirls. I internally shrugged. Whatever, if they try anything I'd chase them off. Genjutsu, brute force, or both.

Gender equality for the win.

Now that I was Sasuke it would only be a matter of time before Ino and Sakura drove me suicidal. Unless I conditioned them early on? That might work. Wait, no, I'm getting off track. Picking up the leaves again, I tried holding them to my hand. I could only make at most three stick but it required a fair bit of concentration. I only managed to do it a little while on my first day here because ninja stuff is my new obsession, and I already knew a buttload of knowledge to let me get the gist of it. I could only hold the leaves about maybe thirty-seconds before I got too tired. I wouldn't say that's amazing, but for someone who never used chakra before that, it was an impressive milestone. Of course, I also had a little help from my new memories, but still, I would say I'm extraordinarily awesome.

It's kind of ironic how well I fit into this clan. Huge ego, slight superiority complex, and of course the ability to maintain 'The Uchiha face of absolute neutrality with a hint of smugness™'. I'll say this now, it comes to me so naturally, I'm actually kind of scared. I rubbed my chin in thought, maybe I could make a field guide about the clans in Konoha, and have it published under a codename. Just to piss off all the stuck-up elders.

I felt a grin creeping onto my face at that idea. It would be my first evil plan under my new Evil Organisation. I haven't thought of a name for it yet, but I would recruit any friends I make, as well as try to steal some Akatsuki members. Unless I ended up joining their group of course, which would only make it easier to undermine them.

I was interrupted from my dark musings as the door slid open and my mother stuck her head in. "Sasuke-kun, breakfast is ready," Mikoto said softly with a small smile at her youngest son. "Ok, coming Kaa-chan." I stood up and pocketed the leaves, following my mother into our dining room. Fukaku and Itachi were already sitting at the table waiting for us to join them. I slid into the seat beside Itachi, and mother sat next to father. I felt my face beginning to fall but willed it to become a mask of neutrality.

I will never see my old parents again.

Swallowing the lump in my throat, I shifted my face again into a relaxed and carefree expression that kids this age are supposed to wear. Fukaku took a long sip of his tea, before attempting to make idle conversation. "So Itachi, you have a break from missions for a week?" Itachi nodded, "There's enough other Chunin on call at the moment to afford it."

Fukaku made a grunting sound_(hn)_.

I stared at them awkwardly, coughing a little into my hand. Both of them suck at small talk. My mother clapped her hands together suddenly, startling them out of their staring. "Itachi-kun, why don't you take Sasuke-kun out into the village? I'm sure a little break is in order. If I didn't force you boys out you'd just be training all the time!" Itachi finished his tea and stood slowly. "Yes, Okāsan." He bowed his head, then his gaze flickered over to me. I took this chance to join him and cling to his arm. I'm really going to enjoy doing all these cute things with this face. I chuckled internally, twirling an imaginary mustache. I'm really going to master my persuasion skills in no time.

_ Speech 100._

* * *

_Itachi and I walked down the crowded streets, with me holding onto his arm the whole time. I could tell that he didn't really mind, which pleased me. Oh yes big brother, you will grow used to my overly affectionate nature. _

_..._

_Mind, get the hell out of the gutter!_

I giggled to myself, chancing a glance up at my brother. Itachi seemed to be spacing out, which was to say, unusual for him. We turned another corner and saw a small dango shop, and I saw Itachi's whole demeanor changed to one of longing. I rolled my eyes with a small smile. Itachi was obsessed with the stuff. Having this new body and memories have surprisingly affected my outlook on sweet things since I died. I don't care for them anymore, which is strange but not at all surprising, considering Sasuke hated them.

I beamed up at a daydreaming Itachi, letting him lead us to the stand and take a seat.

While Itachi ordered a plate of dango for himself, I was surprised to see Shikamaru and Choji approaching from the opposite direction. I caught Shikamaru's eyes and smiled at him, then waved for him to come over. He hesitated for a moment, before sauntering over with a bored expression on his face. I held in my squeals and the urge to hug him. Seeing the two of the Rookie 9 as little children is just… adorable. I have to keep my composure though. I would consider this practice for my world domination speech. That's about the time I have to put on my 'serious face' to make people like Obi-Tobi take me as a threat, oh, and some crazy powerful shinobi on my side as well.

"Hi, you look around my age, wanna be friends?" I pulled out my adorable grin with matching eyes that could melt the skin off of a biji. Wait, aren't they just sentient chakra.

"What a drag," Shikamaru muttered, before shrugging. "Sure, I don't mind." Perfect, and where Shikamaru goes Choji will follow. That's his English phrase, right? Isn't it 'how troublesome?'. This is a bit confusing, I thought we were in the Japanese version, I mean, I can feel myself literally speaking the language. I suppose I could still speak English if I wanted though. I never really followed the anime enough to tell the difference. A lot of my knowledge is from fanfictions, which probably isn't reliable. It's a good thing that Sasuke already knew it well enough so I wouldn't have the trouble of learning another language. I think I'd lose my patience and just use shinobi sign language if that were the case.

Jeez, when did I become Sasori?

"Do you want to hang out at the park sometime? We could just relax and talk if you want." I suggested happily. One day I would turn all the rookie 9 into my minions, one day… Shikamaru shrugged again, yawning. "Sounds good, I go there already to get away from my mother. She keeps nagging me and it's such a drag." I nodded, sympathizing with him. "Oh, I didn't catch your name. Mine's Uchiha Sasuke!" Shikamaru only nodded, "Yeah, I figured. Considering your looks and the guy you're sitting next to." Shikamaru waved at Choji, who was just standing back shyly. "This is Akimichi Choji, and I'm Nara Shikamaru." I only smiled, "Well, it was nice to meet you both." Shikamaru started to turn to leave, "Likewise." I noticed through the whole exchange Itachi just ate his dango, silently observing. When they left he turned to me with a small smile on his face. I guessed it would've been harder to make friends since the Uchiha were blamed for the Kyuubi attack and all, and it seems that Itachi had that same train of thought. Of course, I was supposed to be oblivious, so I only beamed at my older brother.

"I made some new friends!" I exclaimed, grasping his bigger hand in my slightly pudgy, childlike one. He only smiled softly, and replied with, "That's good Otouto."

* * *

**Omake; _Another world? Drabble._**

I stared at… the other Sasuke, blinking slowly. My Itachi- and the other looked to be on the defensive; they looked pretty tense. Well, I guess I'd be too if another version of me and my brother suddenly appeared in the training field we were occupying. I held up my hands, "We come in peace." the attention shifted to me, and I coughed awkwardly. "So, like… Me and Itachi- we found this weird scroll buried really deep in the clan library. And, well, it looked like it hadn't seen the light of day for years, so I… used it? And now we're here? In another… dimension, probably." the other Itachi seemed to process this, before turning to the other- I mean mine. "If you were imposters, you're pretty accurate ones…"

My brother shrugged, "I'm not exactly certain how we found ourselves here either, but Sasuke's explanation is true." I nodded along, turning to the other me- who was staring into my face in awe. Tilting my head, I smirked, "Are you that fascinated by your reflection every morning?" he pouted, crossing his arms, "You don't have to be rude." Both of the Itachi's watched this exchange in amusement, even smiling lightly when I responded, "Tch, I'm yourself, dummy,(Well, not really- but no one has to know that-) anything you don't like about me is something you don't like about yourself, and vice-versa."

Scowling, he "Hned," and turned his head to the side, making me snicker. My Itachi turned to the other, "I'm not sure how long we'll be here-"

"According to the scroll, an hour." I cut in, then rubbed my chin in thought. "We need something to distinguish ourselves from… each other." Yeah.. coincidentally, both of our groups wore the same clothes and didn't have any different defining features besides my personality different from the other Sasuke. The other Itachi pulled a pen out of his pocket, offering it to mine, "You could mark yourselves with this pen." was his quiet suggestion.

Itachi nodded in thanks, and made a small 'x' on his hand, reaching over and drawing one on mine as well. My older brother from the same mother took his pen back with a small smile.

Sasuke looked between the two of them, before voicing, "So I have two Itachi-nii's now?" I shot him a look, "Don't you mean 'we'? Technically, we are all related even despite the circumstances..."

All of us expressed indifference, shrugging.

"It would be unwise for anyone else to find out about this." The other Itachi put in softly, mine nodding in agreement. I made a noise of contemplation, "We could play some games until the timer runs out."

* * *

X-Sasuke pouted when he lost the game of Rock-paper-kunai to Sasuke, the latter smirking at his loss. X-Itachi sat beside his twin, watching the two Sasukes running around, trying to beat the other at something. Itachi sighed, eyes softening at the sight, "Our worlds seem to be the same in that aspect." he murmured. X-Itachi nodded, thinking the same thing. Suddenly, light started enveloping the two brothers, making Sasuke stop and share a look with the other. The glowing Sasuke chuckled, holding out a fist for the other to bump, then smiled at his two older brothers. "Guess this is goodbye."

The two glowing brothers stood next to each other, waving a goodbye to their counterparts, before disappearing just as they came. Sasuke looked up at his brother with a questioning look. "Do you think we'll see them again?" he asked, making Itachi smile slightly. "Perhaps. Who knows how both of our worlds will develop. Maybe one day they will come back to visit. Until then…" He ruffled Sasuke's hair, making the younger Uchiha pout. "Let's go eat dinner. Okaa-san is probably waiting for us."

Sasuke grinned, taking his hand, "Alright!" he laughed.

* * *

_"Somebody told me I'm a failure, I'll prove them wrong." -Naruto_

* * *

_"It's not the face that makes someone a monster, it's the choices they make with their lives." -Naruto_

* * *

**Keep in mind that Sasuke only knows as much about the Naruto plot and storyline that I did when I started this, so when I look up things to keep everything accurate(which I don't always do so... let's just pretend this is... good.), Sasuke didn't know that previously, or just the gist of it in a nutshell.**


	2. Chapter 2

**Time months and weeks stand for how much time has passed since the MC became Sasuke.**

Got some fluffy brother bonding in this one tee~hee

And internal monologue eeee

**Warning; Shisui!, dango(dango){more dango}, Brotherly bonding uwu, Sasuke's crackiness**

I do not own Naruto… Yet.

* * *

_"To understand pain, you must know pain." - Pain(duh, or was it Pein?)_

* * *

_Day 4_

I stretched and let out a content sigh, the sun's rays warmed my body and made me sleepy. The blue sky and fluffy clouds loomed above the canopy of trees surrounding the park. This park was next to a training ground, so not many civilians came here, making it for the most part, quiet. Itachi was sparring with Shisui in the training ground currently, the clang of kunai hitting kunai echoed around the empty area. I yawned, sitting up despite my body's protest. Shikamaru was supposed to meet me here today with Choji, so in the meantime, I decided to try to do at least something productive. Using up as much chakra as possible every day would grow my reserves, which I desperately need in the future for my plans. I also took up meditating for 30 minutes a day to build up my spiritual chakra. I stood slowly, brushing off my shorts, and faced a nearby tree. Tree walking was an essential chakra control exercise, then once I got the hang of that, I'd try water walking.

I reached inside of me for that familiar, yet almost foreign energy. Once I grasped it, I directed it to my feet. I felt it try to resist, so I slowly applied more pressure until I had what I think was the right amount needed to my feet. I ignored my surroundings and concentrated on keeping a steady stream of chakra running through them. Taking a deep, calming breath, I placed an experimental foot on the truck. Feeling confident, I placed my other foot, feeling the chakra latch onto the tree. I took a few steps before feeling my control slip, falling on my ass. I groaned, clutching my head, and rolling to the side. My gaze flickered back over to Shisui and Itachi to see Shisui trying to contain his laughter. I deadpanned and smacked my palm into my head violently. Even Itachi was holding back a smirk! "Am I interrupting something?" Shikamaru drawled, making me snap my head in his direction so fast I heard an audible crack. Ah, that felt good. I rolled my shoulders.

He cringed, making me smirk. Hey, If I can't pull off a harem, then I'll be a creepy-ass-motherfucker like Oro-chan. "Nah, I was just trying to tree walk and my brother left me here to rot for someone like Shisui." I waved him off. I heard Shisui squawk in indignation, while Shikamaru just stared, questioning why he came here in the first place. "So Shika-kun, take a seat. You too, Choji." I pat the ground beside me, and they sat down. "Please don't call me that." Shikamaru almost whined. It just caused my smirk to turn into a full-out-maniacal grin. Well, as maniacal as a cute little five-year-old can get. "Anyways, did you have anything, in particular, you want to talk about? Or should we just talk about talking?" Shikamaru tilted his head to look up at the drifting clouds above. "Well, my dad was teaching me how to play this game called Shogi the other day…"

* * *

_Day 10_

Itachi chomped down on another dango, having just finished his fifth stick. "You're gonna get sick Aniki. I pointed out, rolling my eyes childishly when he sent me a halfhearted glare. I don't know why Itachi is so obsessed with the stuff, I mean, it's alright. It seems whenever the sweet was involved he just couldn't hold himself together. I took a bite of my own, chewing slowly. I was only on my first one, and perfectly content to leave it at that. His obsession made me curious to try it out, and I'll admit, it's a pretty nice snack, but that's it. My gaze lingered on the street in front of us. It's like they didn't expect me to notice the whispers and gossip, and the suspicious glares that were thrown our way. The Uchiha were blamed for the Kyuubi attack, which isn't exactly far off but still. It was an Uchiha who controlled it after all, but the similarities end there. My thoughts drifted towards the future. How was I gonna prevent the massacre? Was it even possible at this point? I'm just a kid, and I'll still be a kid when it finally happens. It's not like I could even convince the Uchiha not to plan the Coup D'etat.

I paused, swallowing the dango. Maybe I could save Shisui, but to do so I would need to prevent Danzo from getting his eye. Maybe I should tell Shisui my secret? Or, something akin to that at least. I could bullshit my way by convincing him that I had a kekkei genkai or something to see the future. He could become a missing-nin, and stay far away from Konoha. I blinked, ah, that reminds me. I need to write down all the future stuff in a journal or something, so important details don't slip away from me over the years. I hopped off the stool, landing on my feet, and turned my head towards my precious brother. "Itachi, I'm ready to go home now." First things first, break into the clan library's higher tier shit and yoink some important skills for the future. I'll also check out books and scrolls that are available for me now as well, and pay a visit to the public library in the leaf while I'm at it. I need to pick a class and learn specialties for it.

I'm planning on the same team seven in the future, so I'll need to pick things that compliment the team dynamic. I'm thinking… mid-range poison master with cool swords? Fuck yes. I will have a katana. I also need to learn poison making. 'All in due time'. Is that a quote from someone? Once Itachi finished his dango(surprisingly fast, one would think he would have choked at least once.), he stood and let me cling to him like a magnet on metal. "Hey Tachi', can you teach me how to throw senbon?" I asked, putting on the most charming and innocent look I could muster. Itachi eyed me for a second, before he shifted slightly, showing his decision. If you weren't looking for it or didn't know him, you wouldn't notice. I smirked internally. Bow to my persuasion skills bitch. "Sure Otouto." I snickered to myself, checkmate.

* * *

_Day 10, afternoon_

"Hold them like this." Itachi quietly commanded, taking my wrist and twisting it a certain way. He took a step back and stared, taking that as my cue, I threw the senbon at the target. It slid in a bit, before bouncing off the wood like it was rubber, and falling into the dirt. I stared hard at the wooden target, "This is harder than I thought it would be…" I pouted when I saw Itachi smirk, "If you practice every day, it'll get easier." I mean, duh. That much is obvious, and I've already managed to prick my finger on the damn oversized needle. I can't be doing that when I coat them with poison. I blame my fingers, they are awkward, I miss my adult hands. I mourned quietly while I readied another needle. This time I threw it too hard, and it ended up digging too far into the target, and on the farthest ring.

Frowning slightly, I pulled another from the pouch on my hip. I had gotten it from Itachi, who stopped using it a while ago. Like getting higher tier gear and throwing away the level 1 garbage. Well, my garbage now. It was worn, but not damaged or anything, and it could hold a handsome amount of senbon. It was the general tan color, and small enough to be inconspicuous. My fingers brushed the chain lining inside the pouch when I retrieved it, the material is standard for shinobi weapon pouches so all the sharp and pointy things wouldn't cut through the outside fabric. Even without the chain-link material, the fabric was rough and durable, good enough for the line of work the pouches would serve in. I held the senbon the way Itachi showed me, Steadying my breathing.

Haku could throw them accurately without even trying, that was the skill level I wanted to achieve. Throwing them had to become like second nature, and the lazy part of me just wanted to give up and sleep. For Jashin's sake, it's still daytime! I couldn't be getting lazy and just not train, especially when the shit hits the fan in the next few years. If I just gave up, there's no way in hell I would survive past my teens! Cutting off my train of thought, I threw it again, hitting a little above the last one. I made a small noise of elation before I killed it. I still had a long way to go after all. "Aniki?" I questioned my brother, tilting my head to the side cutely. He was leaning casually against a tree, the luscious green leaves capturing my attention immediately. The trees in Konoha were beautiful and strong. Their leaves were different shades of green, but the most common color was a deep, rich emerald. I'd never seen nature like this Back Then. Kishimoto's depiction of Konoha wasn't far off, but I never knew the village was this damn beautiful, and peaceful.

No wonder everyone calls us treehuggers.

I could recall quite a few things from Back Then, but the more personal ones, like memories before I died, escape me. Whenever I try to remember my mind gets all blurry and I have an awful headache. My adrenaline picks up and my blood starts pumping, and my vision blurs at the edges. Kaa-chan was so worried about me the other day, hehe. You'd think she thought I was dying, and it's kinda ironic that attempting to think about how I died is trying to kill me. At first, I thought I broke my neck on some stairs, but something at the back of my mind is bothering me. The feeling is bizarre and feels almost like dread as if to tell me I'm wrong. I mentally shrugged, ah well, worrying about it won't magically make my memories come back to me, might as well focus on the now. "Hmm, yes Sasuke?" I smiled sheepishly, "How do you throw right again?"

* * *

_Day 23_

I grinned at the things laid out in front of me on the floor of my bedroom. I was an artist Back Then' and drawing was more than just muscle memory. I smoothed out the piece of paper gently, taking the wooden pencil in my hand. Having a mechanical pencil would be heaven, but I guess the normal kind will have to do. I started brainstorming ideas. I could draw Itachi, myself, and maybe even some Yaoi to post around the village. But, who to put in the Yaoi? I rubbed my chin in thought. Maybe a subtle, 'fuck you'?. I felt the evil smile growing on my face, I know the perfect thing to draw.

Time to do a warm-up first.

* * *

_Day 27_

Sarutobi had seen a lot of things during his lifetime. War, loved one's passing away, torture, and any matter of hardships that have befallen the village hidden in the leaves. This…This was something he never expected- that anyone, really, didn't account for. He looked down at the series of 'artwork' laying in a neat line on his desk. Someone had made copies of them by hand and put them in various places that ninja frequent, and they have yet to find who did it. The first was a… very intimate scene between Orochimaru and… Danzo. Apparently Orochimaru was very skilled with his tongue. He didn't know whether this implied something or it was just making a mockery of his former student and the elder. The second was a man in an orange mask and Madara Uchiha, the man in the mask was tied by his hands to a bedpost. The third and final piece was a plant… man playing with himself under a full moon, in a very detailed and frankly beautiful setting in the woods. Sarutobi didn't know what to make of them, there was no reason to take action. The 'artist' wasn't caught, and it wasn't a matter to waste shinobi to solve. He would wait, and if the artist got unlucky and was caught… well, how was he supposed to punish someone in this kind of case?

* * *

I cackled evilly to myself once I made it back to my bedroom. I choked on my own spit and ended up coughing, trying to keep it quiet so Kaa-chan didn't get worried. I quickly did a once over of the room, smirking to myself. I hide the art supplies under my bed in a box. I looked out the window, observing that I still had some daylight left. Time to practice my senbon throwing. I grabbed the pouch sitting on my bed and checked my needles, making sure they were all there. Satisfied, I attached it to my hip and slid open the door, making my way through the house and into the rest of the compound.

The Uchiha owned some of the forest outside of the compound, with a couple of clearings serving as training grounds. Once I rounded another corner, I scanned the area quickly to make sure no one was watching. I directed chakra to my feet, dashing for the nearest wall. I ran up the wall and just made it before I lost control. I heaved myself up, then stood, bracing myself for jumping onto the nearest tree. My hands glowed an eerie blue, then I jumped, grabbing onto one of the thicker branches easily, then let myself land on the one below that. Canceling my chakra directed to my hands, I channeled some to my legs and feet, enhancing the muscles. I jumped down, landing and rolling, then stood again leisurely. Sure, I could have left the normal way, but that's no fun. Plus, it helps me practice with the threat of pain and even a broken neck.

I dusted myself off and started walking to the closet clearing. I had memorized the general layout of the compound and the forest, so I could navigate it better. As I approached the clearing, I felt a familiar chakra signature. I was no sensor, but recognizing the chakra of family and friends was something akin to second nature now. I entered the clearing, smiling brightly when I spotted Shisui. He noticed me immediately- bastard probably knew I was there before he saw me- "Shisui! Hiya!" I said cheerily, making him grin in return. "Hey Sasuke-kun, you practicing with the senbon Itachi gave you?" I nodded, "Yeah, that's what I came here to do." He bobbed his head and rubbed his chin dramatically. "Hmm, you know, with all that reading and throwing practice you've been doing lately, you could become a medic-nin." My displeasure must have shown on my face because he started cackling. Now, there's nothing wrong with being a medic-nin, I mean, look at Tsunade. I just don't want to be a support role on the sidelines, and there's no way in hell I could become a good enough medic to be Tsunade 2.0.

Senbon and swords, poison and things that go boom, that's my style. I mean, could you imagine a medic Sasuke? I'd probably be another Kabuto but less gay for Oro-chan. I stretched my neck muscles, "I don't want to be a medic-nin Shisui, I just want to be able to paralyze my targets with the senbon, then give them a slow and painful death." He clapped his hands and assaulted my hair, making me squawk in protest. "Aw, there's my little ninja!" I fought the hair ruffles and glared at him, making him beam. "Anyways, I need to practice now," I said dodging his hand, making him pout. "I'm so close to corrupting you without Itachi to interfere, stop fighting and just accept it." I feigned hesitance, widening my eyes, "But I don't want any cookies." Shisui was understandably confused but was still smiling anyway, though unsure. Oh yeah, no one would get any of my references. It's like an inside joke but with only yourself, but whatevs.

I don't care if people start questioning my sanity, we're ninja after all. I made my way over to a worn target, there were a few in this field, but it seemed only Shisui for the most part trained here. I opened the flap of the pouch, taking three senbon. Placing them between my fingers, I moved to the side, and flicked my wrist, sending the needles towards the target. I grabbed another and threw a needle at the third, redirecting its aim and making it dig into the ring above the target's center. The first landed a bullseye, and the second hit just above that, making a neat column of senbon on the target. I felt myself grow in confidence, I had gotten a pretty good handle on senbon in only a couple weeks. Practicing almost nonstop had helped a ton, and improved my aim and speed considerably. I heard Shisui praise me, coming over again to ruffle my hair. I hissed at him and dodged, but I couldn't stop a smile from forming on my face.

* * *

_"It's too late to regret. Reality is just cruelly moving forward." - Obito_

* * *

_"Love is the reason why there is pain." - Pain_

* * *

**So yeah, second chapter, boom.**

**Fun fact; The fourth Kazekage is a terrible father, though I'm sure everyone who didn't know agrees anyway.**

**So you can expect 'Sasuke' to dabble more in those drawing skills of his, adamant to fuck with the people of Konoha before he leaves. So yeah, he will become a missing-nin at some point(or is it nuke-nin?), Oro-chan-san's not gonna give up easily.**

**That's not to say Sasuke is evil, he just has a special brand of madness.**

**Don't worry, it's not contagious... I hope.**

* * *

Bow-chika-wow-wow


	3. Chapter 3

I'm glad to see people reading my stuff, reviews are always nice.

I suck ass at fight scenes btw.

I'm thinking about updating on Fridays and/or Sundays, so I have a consistent schedule. I normally post a new chapter on the day or the day after I finish it. I'll let you know in an author's note if I decide to do so.

Anyways, enjoy.

**Warning; swearing, Neji, plotting, Itachi concerned for Sasuke's mental health.**

I don't own Naruto, but if I did the anime would have less filler and more crack.

* * *

_"Laziness is the mother of all bad habits, but ultimately she is a mother and we should respect her." -Shikamaru(Probably, blame google if I get the credit wrong.)_

* * *

I sat down in a traditional seiza position that kaa-chan had drilled into my head Repeatedly the last couple days. I hated sitting like this, but it was 'necessary' to 'maintain a proper image for the clan'. My legs are killing me and I want to die. Anyways, though the Hyuuga and the Uchiha's didn't really get along, due to them having a constant dick-measuring contest over whose eyes are better, (Sharingan is superior in every way because it's hax, and that's mostly my extreme bias talking.) Despite this, I was excited, because I would get to meet Neji and a cute chibi Hinata. Though, this gets me wondering how much my presence has changed things.

Sasuke never met Neji before the chunin exams, so this makes me curious about what else is different than the original timeline. Even though Neji was a huge prick and a delusional fool, he becomes a pretty good guy later on, plus he's a good ally to have in general. Eventually, I'd probably find myself back in the leaf after defecting, solely based on the fact that Naruto is very determined and doesn't really possess a bone in his body that can give up. So, while I work on restoring my clan, I'd try to secure a good relationship with the Hyuuga and Neji so we can be in a creepy eye gang together. Imagine having both the Byakugan and the Sharingan. Ultimate Sharingan hax coupled with 360-degree vision is such a cheat, though I suppose I won't ever experience that unless I grave-robbed the clan.

"..."

Go away bad thoughts!

I was interrupted from my musings when Fugaku cleared his throat. My mother, Itachi, my father, and I sat across a low table on zabuton(that's those Japanese floor mat things.) across from the Hyuuga clan head Hiashi, and his daughter Hinata. Neji stood looking all emo behind them, ready to serve tea when asked and shit. "Hiashi-san, I am quite surprised with this particular meeting, but nevertheless agree with what you are conveying." I blinked. Wow, I guess I was zoning out and missed what was said, oh well. I gave a mental shrug and tried to at least half-ass proper clan etiquette. I kept my face blank and pretty much stared at Hinata the entire time, she was the only one worth looking at anyways. I mean, she's adorable. How anyone could raise a hand to her and not be immediately incinerated for the transgression was beyond me, much less that person is her father. I know she's not perfect, and her stuttering is admittedly annoying, but you'd think these 'great clans' would use different methods if the usual, 'Get it right or I basically won't acknowledge you as my blood' mentality failed, multiple times. Literally just encourage someone somewhat positively and give them a solid goal that they would want to achieve. Training them to be clan head would be easier after that.

Ranting aside, Hinata tries to stare back at me, and much to my amusement flushes and looks away. She's so shy. Don't worry Hinata-chan, I will train you to become a confident individual in due time. In quite a few fanfiction I have read in the 'Back then', a lot of people tend to be super manipulative and damn evil when they end up in this world. I don't really understand why shouldn't they actually enjoy the second life they have been given? Instead of sulking, going batshit crazy, manipulating, scheming, etc. And who in their right mind would support Madara's ideals, my Jashin. Literally bringing about the destruction of the world by setting Kaguya free doesn't seem exactly smart, but whatevs. How such shitty people got given a second chance is beyond me. Some of them manipulate Hinata since she's so dependent and lacks self-confidence when she's younger, I just want to help her and be a genuine friend. I know there's literally no way in Kushina's holy ass-cheeks that I can achieve a 'perfect ending', but I might as well try, or go out with a bang. (speaking of which, when I get the chance I'm telling Ino off for stealing Deidara's look. That whore.) I looked around to see everyone standing up, so I quickly did the same.

The clan head's started walking off, while Kaa-chan stayed behind with us children. She smiled warmly, "Itachi, Sasuke, why don't you get to know Hinata-san and Neji-san? They are around your age, and it's always good for you kids to make new friends. I'll be having tea with some of the older Hyuuga women, watch over them while I'm gone Itachi." With that, she disappeared through a sliding door to my right. Shrugging lightly, I turned to the other children in the room. Itachi seemed to be sticking close to me, brotherly instincts and all that. Smiling sweetly and closing my eyes, I waved at the Hyuuga pair and greeted them in an airy, and innocent-sounding voice. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Hinata-chan, Neji-kun." Hinata blushed, and twiddled her fingers, "It's n-nice to meet you t-too, Sasuke-san." I saw Neji's eye twitch at the way I addressed them, and my spider senses were telling me that he was about to make some remark about 'respect' or 'proper honorifics' before Itachi spoke up. "Why don't we go outside? Maybe you could train with Neji-san, otouto." I nodded, "That sounds nice."

I turned to Neji and locked my onyx eyes with his pupilless ones. "How about it? We could practice throwing shuriken." I rubbed the back of my head because in all honesty, I sucked ass at throwing those Jashin-damned stars. I always nicked my fingers, a lot more than senbon and Kunai. Neji took a moment to scrutinize me, before in inclined his head slightly, because he's just too cool to nod. "That's acceptable." I groaned inwardly, how can someone be so cute but so condescending at the same time?-No homo bro.

We walked through the compound, with Neji leading the way, and Hinata trailing beside us quietly. A few branch members glanced our way curiously, but other than that, we were met with no conflict. The compound's style was very traditional and pristine. It was like the perfect image of what you would imagine when thinking about the older Japanese culture Back then. It was creepily quiet, and none of us talked on the way. I was certain that we were being carefully watched with those glorified binoculars. I walked side by side with Itachi, and I'm sure he knew this too, considering how close he was to me. We were brushing shoulders- well, Not really, since I'm so short- but that's not the point, you get what I'm saying.

They act like we're waiting to assassinate Hinata or kidnap her or something, bitch, please. Our eyes are so much better than theirs, why would we bother to undermine the Hyuuga's anyway? Uchiha ego aside… We arrived at a simple training area with a few trees. There was also a stone bench nearby. Overall, the place was very aesthetically pleasing. Yummy. Neji pulled a bag of shuriken out of… somewhere, and handed me some, before setting the bag aside on the bench. Eyes aside, I really want to learn the trick to pulling senbon or other weapons out of my ass, I mean come on, I know storage scrolls exist but some of these people pull weapons out of nowhere. I handled the shuriken gingerly because I would be pissed if I cut myself for the millionth time, and got into the right stance.

We threw them for a while, while Itachi and Hinata sat on the bench watching us. I nicked my fingers- to which Neji commented snidely on, so I challenged him to a spar to preserve my honor. Why am I challenging a six-year-old prodigy, when I am in fact a five year old(body at least.) who just started his training and was essentially reincarnated just short of a month prior? Versus Neji, who was trained since he could walk?

'Cause I'm very sure of myself, obviously.

Yeah, no, I'm just that stupid.

Regardless, I started this fight, so I need to finish it…

Well, or Neji finishes it, which will probably be the case. I kinda regret setting up this match now, anything other than life-threatening jutsu goes. Considering ninja parents leave around sharp objects, either oblivious or just think it's normal to allow toddlers to play with kunai, I think it's safe to assume I'm not walking away without a few bruises.

Probably a few dozen.

I can imagine this as my first quest in this world. Objective; Kick Neji's ass to Kiri and back. Luckily, I expected something like this to occur, so I was prepared. Though I didn't know until yesterday that I was going to the Hyuuga's, I still had plenty of time to scheme. I had gotten one of those special senbon launcher things like Tsunade's apprentice had when she fought Oro-chan and glasses creeper after the chunin exams. I begged my kaa-chan to get it for me when we went to the market together and said it was for my training. I can't remember that lady's name for the life of me, but she just didn't stop screaming 'Lady Tsunade'. You just don't scream that much unless you're being skinned alive, having an orgasm, or constantly dying in a first-person shooter. Anytime else and you'll make people panic, sheesh. Moving on, I had Senbon and Kunai hidden everywhere on my person, ready to be thrown at a moment's notice.

I also opted to wear a thin and light netted undershirt. The day I got to this world, I've been writing down new techniques that I could create, or rip off of course. Basically, I came up with this really simple, but effective technique that is probably not original, but I couldn't bring myself to give a flying fuck. Essentially, you create a somewhat dense layer of chakra on top of your skin, like another layer of skin but with chakra. Next, you just reinforce it with some control and boom. A nearly invisible layer of chakra armor, like Gaara's sand armor but with just chakra. It would make it so Neji couldn't one-shot me by targeting my more vital areas. Not that he would kill me or something, since it's a spar, and we are just tiny children. But I can see him cutting off the flow to my shoulder or something like the prick he is. Using this would give me enough protection to have an edge in this fight.

I hope.

Taking our positions across from each other, we both assumed a stance, Neji had his Gentle fist style, and mine had a somewhat-alright-academy-style stance that Itachi showed me after I pestered him, then bribed him with his favorite snack.

Gotta love exploiting his dango obsession.

I would start training with Fugaku-sama sometime this week, actually. I'm not sure why it was this year and not the last. Didn't clan kids begin training when they were four or something? Meh.

Neji's eyes narrowed, "You already know the beginner Konoha style, and half-decent in it. That is to be expected from the brother of a prodigy and an Uchiha." Well, I did learn this just a few days ago, I guess he's complimenting me? I raised a brow, wondering if this was going- "However, despite how skilled you may be for your age, you stand no match against me and my gentle fist." ah, yes, I was wondering when he was going to say that. If he didn't I might just think someone put on a henge and tried imitating the Hyuuga prodigy. I smirked, putting on a cocky and somewhat irritating expression. "Don't speak so fast Neji-kun, we have just begun after all," I responded, my smirk growing when his eye twitched. "I am in the academy, and you are not. It is just a simple comparison of skill and experience." How does a six-year-old, going on seven, sound so mature? "Whatever Neji-veggie-kun, let's begin."

I think he's going to enjoy kicking my ass.

Senbon slid down my sleeves and into my hands and sidestepped a kick that almost caught me off-guard. I threw the senbon, putting some distance between us. He lept back, swatting them out of the air like flies. I used this moment to rush at him with a freshly drawn kunai, swiping it at his face. He ducked and got in my guard, striking my arm and quickly retreating. He didn't have his byakugan on yet, so his blows were normal but still stung.

There's nothing gentle about the gentle fist technique.

I twirled the kunai and gripped it in reverse, and struck continuously at him while keeping one hand open to block. He sidestepped and tried to grab my fist, but I leaped out of the way. It was then I realized that fighting was kinda like dancing, especially the Hyuuga style. I hadn't managed to hit Neji yet, and he only struck my arm once. I crouched and threw the kunai at him, then pulled down my sleeve and activated the mechanisms of my fancy senbon launcher. The needles were faster than the kunai, and two of them dug into Neji's arm, cutting some nerves and making him whole arm numb. Despite not wanting to be a medical-nin, I still took it upon myself to study the human body in my clan's library, and I planned on trying to get my hands on the mystical palm technique. The reason being so I can heal myself in the middle of a battle and piss off my enemy. Plus they might think I'm some weak medic and underestimate me, making offing them easier.

Neji carefully pulled them out, then got into his stance again, finally taking this seriously it seems. "Byakugan." he said calmly, and I could see a very faint glow on the tips of his fingers. His eyes narrowed, then he rushed at me again, aiming to disable my arms. I twisted out of the way, backing up and putting distance between us. I paused then smirked, "You know, that's pretty gay, looking at me through my clothes like that~" Neji seemed to have a mini seizure, his face flushing from the implication. "That's not how the byakugan works." He sputtered, while I pretended not to see him choking on his own spit. "I didn't know you felt that way about me." I continued, bringing a finger up to my face and biting it in mock nervousness. "I'm not gay!" I gave him a deadpan stare, "Dude, you literally used the byakugan to look through my clothes." He looked like he wanted to throttle me, which to be honest is fair enough. He got into a stance again, though it looked a bit more aggressive, then he charged.

* * *

Late afternoon; The Uchiha Compound.

I rubbed my poor bruised arms, sniffling while Itachi sat down and opened a container of salve. "You provoked him, though I'm curious to know how you picked up insults like that Sasuke." I shrugged, "It was worth it to see his reaction, besides, Hinata-chan was kind enough to give us that." I gestured to the salve that Itachi was starting to apply to my left arm. "So it's not like the Hyugga's don't like me, well, except for Neji, probably," Itachi said a silent prayer for my sanity, then finished his task, reaching for bandages to wrap around my arms. It was quiet for a few minutes, both of us sitting on the porch that connected to my room. It was a comfortable silence, the sky was darkening. It would be night soon. I sighed, breathing in the cool air deeply.

'Three more years.' I thought somberly, looking up at Itachi's face.

'I won't hate you Itachi, I'll make sure we both have a happy ending.'

"Or die trying", I snickered to myself quietly.

* * *

_"Strength is not will, but a phenomenon caused by physical objects." - Madara Uchiha_

* * *

_"Those who break the rules and laws are scum!" - Young Kakashi, never have such words been more ironic._

* * *

There's going to be a time skip with various scenes of notable events next chapter. I'm not sure how long it will be till' the massacre, probably after a chapter or two.

Plus the genin years and chunin exams will be fun to write. ;)

Fun fact; Orochimaru's hair is to kill for.


	4. Chapter 4

**Heres another chapter lovelies**

**Warning: Slight cursing, maybe non-canonical timeline stuff, but whatev's it's an au.**

* * *

_"You must fall in order to grow, hurt in order to love, lose in order to gain, because life's greatest lessons are learned through pain." - Pain_

* * *

_Age 6_

Itachi knocked on the door to Sasuke's room, upon hearing a muffled 'come in', he opened the door. The sight that greeted him made him want to turn around and pretend that everything is right with the world. His Otouto had a bound and gagged Shikamaru, and propped him up against the side of his bed. Sasuke had a couple of decks of playing cards scattered about, paper and pencils, and stacks of books and scrolls piled up on his bed. "Sasuke... what are you doing?"

That was the real question, wasn't it? Itachi avoided looking into the Nara's pleading eyes, instead opting to deadpan stare at his little brother. Sasuke turned to him with a playful, innocent smile, sitting cross-legged a few feet in front of his friend. "I'm having a playdate with my friend." was his flippant remark. Itachi pondered where Sasuke obtained the rope, but then shrugged it off since he probably didn't want to know. Sighing, he went over and crouched beside his brother, poking his forehead. "You can't kidnap your friends." He chastised half-heartedly. Sasuke shrugged, "Ok."

He untied the poor boy and removed the gag from his mouth. Shikamaru remained silent for a moment, rubbing his chaffed arms. Looking between the two brothers he spoke up, "Does he do this often?" Itachi shook his head, "No, Sasuke usually doesn't break moral codes and laws unless he's bored or someone refuses to listen to him." Shikamaru shot a look at his self imposed other best friend, then sighed heavily. "I'm gonna go get a drink, Itachi, can you watch him to make sure he doesn't escape?" His Otouto asked, standing up and making his way to the door. When Itachi nodded he beamed, a glint of mischief in his eyes.

Now that they were alone, Itachi raised a brow at the Nara, rising and crossing his arms. "Why did Sasuke kidnap you?" Shikamaru looked to the side, "I kept making excuses to keep sleeping instead of hanging out." He drawled, picking up one of the papers and grimacing. "He sure does have an active imagination." He muttered, then shot a questioning look at Itachi. "Do you actually plan on making sure I can't leave?" Itachi let an almost wicked smile slip onto his features. "Well, I am his older brother."

* * *

_6 and ½_

I held Itachi's hand as he led me through the park, where a meeting place for all the clan kids were set to meet each other. I was pretty excited, I mean, the rest of the rookie 9 will be there. I can corrupt them early- I mean, befriend them, of course. When we made it to the main playground, in a large clearing, my positive mood halted in its tracks, screeching and crashing, destroying everything in its path. Some groups of kids were scattered about the field, talking, whatever. Others were playing on the swings or slides. I saw a flash of yellow that disappeared into the trees, while a group of three kids started laughing.

Now, I'm not an idiot. I can make calculated guesses on minimal information, and most of the time I'm right. What makes it even more damning is there's only one person in Konoha that has hair that bright of a yellow(not including dead people.) I gestured to Itachi what I meant to convey, that a kid was probably bullied and needed comfort. I think he got me when he sighed, he's been doing that a lot lately. I followed in the direction of the blur, Itachi trailing behind quietly, ready to disappear before the kid saw him. Of course, he'd still be in the area, brother complexes and all that. Wait, do I have a brother complex?

I squashed that thought when I saw a chibi Naruto with his knees drawn to his chest against a tree. I think my soft heart broke into a million pieces, then exploded in a fiery rage. I pushed away thoughts of carefully planned murder, and quietly approached the teary-eyed boy. His head shot up when I was a few steps away from him, looking at me with suspicion. "Are you ok?" I asked stupidly, crouching down so we were eye level. Of course, he's not ok, he's crying you absolute fool-

"Y-yeah," Naruto mumbled, wiping at his eyes with his arm. "I came to the park to make friends today-" I smiled, "So, wanna be friends then?" Naruto's eyes widened and he looked at me like I was his knight in shining armor- SasuNaru fans are shaking in their boots right now. "Yes…" He suddenly shot up and jabbing a finger in my face. "The name's Uzumaki Naruto dattebayo." He shot me a hesitant smile, "Don't forget it."

I nodded, "Only if you don't forget mine. Uchiha Sasuke."

His smile turned into a huge grin, "Alright Sasuke-chan!" I felt my cheeks flush a bit, "We've only just met.." I mumbled, then felt a wave of what felt like guilt. Is he always this trusting to someone he just met? I shook my head and grabbed his hand, and started dragging him behind me. "Oi! Where are you-" I cut him off with a huge smirk-grin, "To the park, obviously." He hesitated again, but any reply was cut off with the appearance of my brother.

"Otouto." He acknowledged and looked behind me at Naruto with a questioning look. "So my dearest brother of mine, where's the group we're supposed to meet?" He threw a pointed look over his shoulder, and I looked around him. The chibi 9 were sitting under a tree on the other side of the clearing. "Are you staying?" I asked him, tilting my head. "No, Okaa-san insisted you spent time on your own." I gave a one-shoulder shrug as if saying 'what can you do?'. "Well, I hope they don't mind if a bring one extra." Itachi rolled his eyes. _The Uchiha Itachi rolled his eyes at me. _

He knows that I'd impose my dominance and try to physically harm anyone who denied me anyway, which caused me to snort, trying to disguise the fit of giggles that came following that thought. I waved him goodbye and began running full sprint towards my future friends, stopping abruptly in front of Hinata, letting go of Naruto's hand. "_HEY HINATA-CHAN!"_ She squeaked, about having a heart attack. "S-Sasuke-san." She managed to get out when I slung an arm around her shoulder in a hug.

Shikamaru groaned and Choji said a soft greeting. I looked at the rest of the rookie 9 with a predatory gaze. Ino and Sakura visibly shivered, from apprehension or _something else_, I had no clue. "So you're the Uchiha?" Kiba asked, stuffing some beef jerky into his mouth. I smirk-grinned at him, "Uchiha Sasuke." He nodded, "Inuzuka Kiba." This prompted the rest to introduce themselves. "Yamanaka Ino and this is my friend, Sakura." She flipped her hair and smiled confidently. Sakura timidly waved at me, "Haruno Sakura." She supplied quietly, making me want to openly coo at her. "Aburame Shino, you are not what we expected. Why? You don't act like the typical Uchiha." I winked at him, "It'd be boring if I did." He hummed in contemplation, "True."

"So, Hinata-san, Shika-kun, and Choji-chan already know you? Awe man, they never mentioned you to me." Ino whined while I smirked in response. Shikamaru shot a look to Ino, "Trying to explain the mentality of Sasuke-sa-" My eye twitched and Shikamaru began to sweat. "Sasuke-_chan_, would be too troublesome." I beamed at him, then pushed a surprisingly quiet Naruto in front of me. "This here's Naruto-chan, I hope none of you mind if he joins us." He seemed to radiate with energy at my statement, then turned to the group.

I felt something akin to pride bloom in my chest, I just changed the main story a little more and set Naruto on the path to making some loyal friends early on. Hell, he was already worming his way into my heart. I sighed and took a seat next to Shikamaru, watching Naruto chatter away with Kiba.

_Hmm, life's not so bad._

* * *

_Age 7_

I sat under the tree, furrowing my brow in concentration. Sticking my tongue out, I started to shade the self-portrait. Call me vain, but drawing yourself is good practice, and a nice distraction of the incoming disaster that is about to be the highlight of my childhood in a year- or less.

Oh, joy.

The struggle not to be emo is real. Well, besides all that angsty stuff, I found myself hanging out with Shikamaru again. Well, the whole Ino-Shika-Cho 2.0 really. Choji was casually eating some chips next to me, Shikamaru was asleep, and Ino was watching me draw in silence. All in all, it was pretty peaceful, though Ino's staring is starting to creep me out. I thought she'd be… less mellow? Well, she is pretty hyperactive at times, but for the most part, when she's hanging out with people she doesn't know, she becomes confident, almost sarcastic, and tends more towards silence.

I guess it's just because she's younger than when she first appeared at the start of the series.

I slowly looked up and met her eyes. Her brow furrowed while I took a sip of my water, purposely slurping to disturb the silence. How Choji can eat so quietly is beyond me, it must be an Akimichi thing. "Hey Ino-chan," I started, she snapped her attention to me with a wide grin on her face, "Yeah Sasuke-kun?"

"Can you stop.. Staring?"

She blinked slowly, then her face flushed. "S-sorry Sasuke."

I chuckled, smirk-grinning at her, shaking my head. Returning my attention to my artwork, I almost missed a torn look sent my way. Everything was silent for a few minutes, then she parted her lips, snapping them shut a second later. Sighing, I put my pencil down and shot her an amused look, "You're thinking too loud." She giggled, some of the tension I hadn't noticed draining from her shoulders.

"Can I borrow some paper and a pencil?"

Tilting my head in surprise, I opened my bag and handed her the requested items. She shot me a grateful grin, "Thanks Sasuke-kun." I gave a lazy smile and shrugged, "No problem Ino-chan."

She laid the paper against her legs, starting to sketch a figure. Staring for a few more seconds at her quizzically, I returned to my own drawing, adding finishing touches. I smirked back at the mirror image of me, satisfied with the final piece. I closed my sketchbook and slipped it back into my bag, leaning into the tree and closing my eyes. I felt a light breeze ruffle my hair spikes, letting out a content sigh.

I decided to just let my hair grow out, though it was getting harder to care for. Trying to smooth the spikes down was a fruitless effort, and I refused to tie it back like Itachi. I actually didn't really mind it and had told Shisui when we were sparing to try to grab it if he could. It's all practice for the field, cause my hair was fabulous, and I won't cut it anytime soon.

I started humming a song from my old life that was stuck in my head. Idly running my hands through my bangs, I peeled open my eyes to see Ino's progress. She crossed out the messy sketch of the beginnings of a person and was drawing a cat. It was stylized, and there were some problems with the anatomy, but otherwise, it looked pretty good. My gaze flickered over to my other two friends, noting Choji was peeking at Ino's drawing as well. I felt my lips twitch into a small smile.

No matter what was coming our way over the years, none of us had to struggle alone.

* * *

"Sasuke, why are you painting the wall?" Itachi asked me, looking at the pretty pink clouds I was working on. I let out a huff, blowing my bangs that got stuck to my cheek from some of the paint. Currently, I was working on the wall adjacent to the door, working my way around another door that led to a porch outside my room. "Because my room needed-" I turned towards him from where I was standing on the stool, gesturing with my hands. "Color? Oomph?"

I shrugged, "Cause' I wanted to."

He eyed the landscape I was painting skeptically, "You didn't ask for permission, did you?" I gave him a cheeky smile, "Nope!" I chirped, wiping my hands on my shorts. He sighed, his lips twisting up into an exasperated smile. "Shisui got me the paint." I supplied. His eyes narrowed, "He's been helping you cause trouble." He stated, though it sounded more like he confirmed something. "He helped me with the exploding onigiri too."

Itachi massaged his temples, "Why must my best friend and little brother be chaos incarnate?" He muttered.

With that, I went back to painting, cackling evilly when I heard a loud yelp echo through the compound. I wonder if that elder would bring up offing me and my partner in crime during the next shrine meeting?

* * *

Shisui sneezed a couple of times, rubbing his nose on his sleeve. He sniffed, adopting a sly grin, "It's probably a pretty girl cooing over my awesomeness." He said to himself, expression falling when he felt a spike of killer intent from the direction of a particular rude elder's house.

* * *

_Age 7 and ½ _

I climbed the walls like spiderman, singing the lyrics off-key. "Spiderman, spiderman, do whatever a spider can, on the walls- I don't remember the lyrics~"

Wall-walking, tree-walking, whatever, it is pretty fun. I settled down in a meditative position on the ceiling, directly above Itachi's bed. It was one of those rare times recently that Itachi has a day off, a day not to worry about his duties and the coup, though there's a meeting tonight I think. He was lounging on his bed, reading a book. Though he kept half an eye on me, to make sure to catch me if I fall.

The weariness in Itachi and Shisui was getting worse by the day, making me panic internally.

I'd join the academy in a few months, and resolved to corner Shisui and tell him I can see the future and shit. Not everything of course, and I'd be vague, but hopefully clear enough for him to live. I really didn't want Danzo to take his eye, and at this point, Shisui is one of my precious people, one I'd trust with my life.

Yeah, I'm going to be completely bullshiting so my knowledge isn't questioned, and if a Yamanaka or something mind-fucks me I'm screwed, but other than all that mess, today is a fine day.

I buried my concerns and coherent thoughts deep down, focusing on the chakra in my body and my breathing. I grasped that energy, scowling when it tried to slip through my hands almost like water. I directed it though the pathways, making it cycle faster along its natural route. It felt slightly uncomfortable, so I let it go, resuming its normal speed. I remember from some post or fanfiction back in my old life about building up chakra to the point it's painful then cycling it through the pathways. Since chakra enhancing humans in this world, it would make me stronger, and be an advanced chakra control exercise.

I didn't know if it would actually work, and I wouldn't end up accidentally killing myself, but it was worth a shot.

I'd basically practiced senbon throwing and chakra control since I got here, and have become proficient enough at both. I could walk up walls and make an opponent an immobile human porcupine, as well as make a weird layer of chakra on my skin, which could save my life I guess. It's almost the same as a henge, though I'm not changing my appearance, just building up enough layers to protect my skin and internal organs for a while. I still kinda sucked at water-walking, though I supposed it didn't really matter much at this point in time.

Getting my ass handed to me by Shisui every other day or so really made me drastically improve on my taijutsu since that fight with Neji. As I am now, I could easily become top of the class in the academy, along with future knowledge, these other kiddies stood no chance.

I wouldn't let them catch up. Always having something up my sleeves, a new ace in the hole, always changing, challenging myself.

I grinned, my eyes snapping open, and letting myself fall on top of Itachi. He caught me with his free hand easily, setting me down safely. I rolled my eyes and clung to his side, looking over his reading choice. He breathed out deeply and looped his free arm around my torso, pulling me closer. My expression became contemplative when I looked into his weary eyes for a moment. Letting out my own sigh, I closed my eyes once more and let myself drift into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

_"Sure, people who don't follow the rules in the shinobi world are scum, but those who don't care about their comrades are worse than scum." - Obito Uchiha_

* * *

_"When a man learns to love, he must bear the risk of hatred." - Madara Uchiha_

* * *

**The next chapter will be the academy, maybe the massacre, it depends really. **

**Fun fact; Sasuke's rocking those fab locks.**

**His hair doesn't reach his mid-back yet, only his upper-back.**


	5. Chapter 5

_**-Insert interesting author's note here-**_

_**Also, I'm just making up the classes as I go, so if there exists canonical stuff that contradicts anything, just pretend it's an au.**_

**Warning- I don't know what I'm doing with the prices, The academy, other stuffs, OOCness.**

**I don't own Naruto, only this story.**

* * *

_"Somebody doesn't die until they lose their hope." - Hanzo(pretty sure those are his words.)_

* * *

It was finally the day.

I checked my bag for the fifteenth time in the last ten minutes, checking off the supplies in my head.

'_Pencils, sketchbook, paint, paintbrushes, sharp kunai(thanks Shisui.) and Shruikan, lunch, notebook, rusty spoon…'_

Shisui sighed and bonked me on the head, making me scowl up at him. "Sasuke-chan, you're gonna be fine. Plus, isn't Shikamaru supposed to be in your class?" _Ah, the perks of having loved ones in higher ranks. _

"Yeah, I guess you're right Shisui. To be honest, I'm not really sure what I'm nervous about in the first place." Besides the fact that the massacre happened after school, and my time was running increasingly short and ohmygoshshisuiisgonnadie-

I slapped my hands onto my face, groaning. Shisui feigned concern and patted my head condescendingly, saying how proud he was of me.

I rolled my eyes but tolerated it, turning my attention back to the room's doorway, waiting for Itachi to show up. Speak of the devil and he shall appear.

My dear brother smiled at me and took my hand, leading me out of the main house and into the rest of the compound. Shisui trailed behind, commenting every now and then, and greeting passersby. "Off to your first day at the academy Sasuke-kun?"

I smiled at the older man, "Yes Teyaki-ojisan."

His wife said a couple well-wishes and encouragement, making me feel all bubbly and warm. I thanked them, then continued walking alongside Itachi. Fugaku was too busy to walk me there, not that I mind much since Itachi and Shisui are better in my opinion. We soon walked through the compound's archway, waving to the guards, and heading towards Konoha's main street.

On the way we passed by a fruit stand, making me abruptly stop. "Hey Itachi-nii, can I get a couple of fresh tomatoes to survive the day?" by this point, it was really an obsession. I also started to love apples, not that I didn't in my past life, but those two fruits now were my lifeline. I guess the weird cosmic counterpart to Itachi's dango obsession. Shisui strolled up and offered a shrug, reaching into his pocket and pulling out some Ryo. "That'll be 30 ryo total." The elderly man supplied, handing two juicy tomatoes and apples to me.

I stuffed the four fruits into my satchel-bag, offering Shisui and the man my gratitude. "It's worth it for my favorite minion." Shisui grinned, taking up walking on my other side.

We made good time and showed up to the building, the iconic swingset in sight. "How does it feel to get more screen time than tenten?" I whispered under my breath, making my brother send a confused glance my way. "Have fun little minion." Shisui slung an arm around my shoulder, then disappeared when the Hokage began a speech about the will of fire. I didn't really pay attention, opting to scope out the faces of people I knew instead. A small malicious smirk made its way onto my face when I spotted Shikamaru, along with Choji and Ino. They were with their fathers. Ino and Choji looking a little nervous, while Shikamaru was fighting off sleep.

My smirk widened when I saw his sharp, intelligent eyes meet mine. '_Hey, ready to own these peasants?' _I mouthed to him, snickering when he rolled his eyes. Finally, the Hokage finished, then disappeared in a swirl of leaves- _Shunshin_, impressing the civilian students. The academy teachers began calling out student's names, separating them into classes. Itachi offered one last reassuring squeeze, before unlinking our hands and patting my head. He left with a smile thrown over his shoulder and disappeared in a swirl of leaves life the Hokage.

"Uchiha Sasuke," Iruka called, gaining my attention. I made my way over to Shikamaru in the line, patting his shoulder. He accepted my presence begrudgingly, making me grin. "So Shika-chan, are you as excited as I am to expand our influence towards a new batch of unprepared kiddies?" He sent me an incredulous look. "You mean your influence?" He drawled. "I wouldn't be surprised if half the class dropped out solely because of you."

I shot him a hurt look, gripping my heart dramatically. "So mean Shikamaru. I'll have you know everyone who knows me absolutely adores me." He rolled his eyes, patting my shoulder. "Maybe you should start seeing a Yamanaka, madness like yours is probably unhealthy."

I smirked, "Only for my enemies."

He shivered. "How troublesome."

Nodding in response, we followed the rest of the students into the classroom Iruka directed us to. I took a seat in the second to last row near the window, Shikamaru and Choji sitting in the last row behind me. Ino looked around for a moment, before spotting Sakura and dragged her to the next row over, adjacent to Shikamaru's. Hinata timidly sat in the row below Ino's in the seat nearest to me. Shino sat in the last seat in the row behind me with Kiba sitting next to Hinata. I gave a pleased nod, we were already establishing a comfortable area as _ours_.

I looked around at the rest of the class, frowning at the absence of the yellow ball of energy known as Naruto. When the last person was seated, the boy in question rushed into the classroom, offering a rushed apology, and darting to my row, sliding in beside me. I smirked at him, "Late on the first day?" I waggled my finger in front of his face, tutting quietly. He frowned and stuck out his tongue at me, "I forgot. Besides, it's not like I'm gonna let that stop me from becoming Hokage." I rolled my eyes, smiling fondly.

Raising a brow, I nodded sagely, "Of course future Hokage."

That actually became his goal a while ago, me and the rest of the rookie nine being the first one's privy to his Hokage speech.

Iruka started explaining what we would be learning, the different classes and such. Taijutsu, Chakra control, and basic things like math and history would be taught by Iruka. Genjutsu and ninjutsu classes, along with Kunoichi classes would be taught by background character teachers(At least, that's how I'd interpret that.) That's not to say Iruka won't touch on those topics more, but since he doesn't specialize in certain things there's only so much he can teach on those topics.

The class schedule was as follows;

History, Math, Lunch, Taijutsu class, Classroom things(chakra control, ect., Genjutsu class, Ninjutsu class, then specialized classes(Kunoichi class, medic stuff, or free time really.)

Iruka clapped his hands once, "Alright students, let's all introduce ourselves, and state our dreams for the future. I'll go first, then we'll go from the front row to the back." He cleared his throat, "My name is Iruka-sensei, and my dream for the future is to see you grow into amazing ninja." He smiled, then one of the kids in the first row stood, I think his name was Yuki or something.

* * *

Eventually, I snapped my attention back to reality when I heard Naruto's introduction. "My name's Uzumaki Naruto and my dream is to be the greatest Hokage ever, even greater than the fourth dattebayo!" The classes' attention focused on me next, mostly the girls. Aren't we all seven or eight? I stood, brushing imaginary dust off my shoulder, and leveled my patented condescending Uchiha smirk at them. "Uchiha Sasuke, and my dream for the future…" I paused, "Become an S ranked shinobi and have a 'flee on sight' in the bingo books."

"That's an interesting goal, alright, next."

Once he started on the basics of Konoha's history I tuned him out. In the roughly three years I've been here, I've been cramming history and theory into my head, along with whatever I could get my hands on at the Library. I half-listened to his lecture while pulling out my sketchbook and drawing whatever came to mind. As I was doodling some kind of weird monster man thing, I felt someone staring. Slowly, I looked up and meet the gaze of Naruto, sighing in exasperation that he wasn't listening to Iruka.

Sure, I knew most of this stuff because I was obsessed with this manga, and actually enjoyed it's history, but Naruto didn't. I flickered him on the nose, causing him to yelp. "Uzumaki-san, why don't you repeat what I just said?" Iruka startled him, causing Naruto to start sweating bullets. "U-umm. Can you repeat that?" A few students snickered at that, while an impatient Iruka tapped his foot. He sighed, "What were the first and second Hokage's names?" He perked up at that, making me raise a brow. "Senju Hashirama and Tobirama right?"

In hindsight, I probably shouldn't have been surprised, I mean, this kid was obsessed with becoming Hokage, it's not like he doesn't know the Kage's names by heart now. Iruka gave a satisfied nod, then turned his attention to me. "Uchiha-san, can you answer who the fourth was, and the current third?" I nodded, then covered a yawn with my hand, making him give me a deadpan stare. "Namikaze Minato, Sarutobi Hiruzen," I answered easily, then turned my attention back to my sketch.

I pondered whether I should add wings or not when I was interrupted yet again none other than Naruto. "Hey, Sasuke-teme, what are you drawing dattebayo?" I rolled my eyes at the nickname, "I dunno, some random person I guess." Despite my friendship with him, it seems a rivalry was inevitable, though at least he isn't trying to spite me in this universe. I shot him a smirk, "Better pay attention, It's only our first day. Don't want to be left behind, right baka? I might become Hokage first if you do," I teased.

We switched to math after some time, which was just as uneventful, other than getting called on a few more times to answer easy questions. We got handed a worksheet or two to do as well, which I breezed through before returning to my doodling. Lunch finally rolled around, everyone trying to go through the door at once to enjoy the nice weather outside. Naruto and Shikamaru followed behind me as I picked a spot underneath a suitable tree, propping myself up against it. The rest of the rookie nine joined me, with Shika-chan and Naru-kun joining me on either side of me. We formed a sort of circle, taking out our lunches and trading things we didn't like with each other.

I bit into one of the tomatoes, salivating at its fresh juiciness, it's flavor- _alright, I just like them more than the average person should ok_? "So guys, how have you thought about our first day so far?" I popped the question. Shikamaru offered a shrug, "Doing work is such a drag," I smirked at that. "It's been pretty boring for me," I agreed. "It's ok so far," Choji said quietly, the rest of the rookie 9 nodding at that. "The first day is always the easiest, why? We have already learned these things from our clans." Shino glanced at Naruto, "With an exception." He tacked on.

"Don't w-worry Naruto-kun, We c-can help you review." Hinata put in when Naruto's shoulder's drooped. "Yeah, we can lend you some of our notes when you need them." I smirked, patting his shoulder, "Cause' you'll need all the help you can get, what with your thick skull and all." Naruto growled and tackled me, making me wheeze out a laugh. I kneed him in the stomach and flipped us, faux choking him. "TEME!" he choked out and started laughing, eliciting a couple of giggles from me. I dropped my hands from around his neck and covered my mouth, trying to stifle my growing mirth.

We fooled around a little while longer, before Taijutsu class rolled around, which also encompassed throwing practice. We started by running a few warm-up laps around the academy, before stretching and the introduction of the standard Konoha katas. Clan kids practiced their own clan ones, though we're still encouraged to learn the academy ones as well. I went through the Uchiha ones, before trying the basic katas. The standard katas were designed as a base for one's own style, though it could still be used adequately in the field.

"Damn it." Naruto muttered from his spot next to me, having trouble going through the movements Iruka shown. I raised a brow, "Naruto, Language dobe." I stage whispered to him. He snapped his head in my direction, staring for a few seconds, mouthing the words I said to him, before his eyes widened in realization. "Sasuke-teme." I grinned cheekily, "Naru-chan." He huffed, rolling his eyes before Iruka came over to help him get the katas right. I snickered to myself quietly, relishing in the half-hearted scowl Naruto threw my way.

* * *

It was the end of the day, kids were already heading home with their parents, and I spotted Itachi waiting under the shade of the iconic tree, idly scanning his eyes over a small book he brought with him. As soon as I approached, his eyes flickered up from his reading material, then shut and tucked it away in his pocket. Offering me a small smile, he held out his hand, making me mirror him in return. He knew the routine.

As we made our way out the schoolyard, I tugged on his hand for us to wait, my eyes landing on a sad-looking Naruto. Some of the parents threw glares his way, yanking their children away as they left. I sighed then raised my unoccupied hand and waved it in his direction. "Hey, Naru-chan!" I called. He perked up and hurriedly jogged over, purposely ignoring the civilian parents. I tilted my head to the side, smiling in greeting. "Hey, Itachi-nii, can Naruto have a sleepover at the compound? To celebrate our first day at the academy of course." He thought for a moment, before caving at me and Naruto's pleading looks. "I'll ask Otou-sama and Okaa-san-" I fist-pumped the air and smirk-grinned at Naruto.

"Meet me near the compound gates in an hour or two." Naruto nodded, "I'll pack a bag, and tell Jiji." He sped off out of the gates, in a much better mood than a few minutes ago. Itachi sent me a knowing look. Shrugging, we turned and headed home, passing by Itachi's favorite dango shop on the way. He ordered two sticks, handing me one, in turn offering my thanks with a hum. Continuing on our route, we made it back in a handful of minutes, nodding politely at the Uchiha guarding the archway. I swear I was forgetting something and walked off to my colorful room and picked it up for when Naruto got here. With nothing else to do, I found myself in the kitchen, finding Kaa-chan at the table reading. "Hey Kaa-chan, Naruto is coming over in less than an hour to spend the night," I informed her, just in case.

She was a slavedriver if she puts her mind to it.

Her dark eyes glinted in amusement, smiling softly at me. "Itachi informed me." I nodded, then facepalmed when I remembered I needed to talk to Shisui _to save his ass._ Leave it up to me to forget something important. "Sorry Kaa-chan, I forgot to do something- say, have you seen Shisui around?" She thought for a moment, bringing her hand up to her chin. "I believe he was in one of the training grounds." I thanked her and sprinted towards the usual clearing we frequent, gradually adding chakra to my limbs to go faster. I burst into the clearing and tackled the figure who turned towards me in surprise. Shisui let himself fall, letting out an oof.

"Sasuke-chan, not that I mind the impromptu hug, but did you really have to tackle me?" I nodded, pushing myself off his chest and stood. He held out his hand and squawked when I batted it away. "So mean minion." He muttered, hoisting himself up and dusted his pants off. I sobered up and set my features into a serious expression, making Shisui stiffen at the sudden change in my demeanor. "Shisui, there's something… important that I need to talk to you about, where nobody can hear us." I could see a million thoughts run through his head before he nodded and turned, "There's a place I go to often with Itachi, whenever we want to be away from the clan…" He trailed off, heading through the woods with a deceivingly casual posture.

In what seemed like an eternity later, we arrived near the edge of the Naka River. He looked around for a moment, before relaxing and turning to me. "We're alone." He sat down and I joined him on the dirt, staring into his onyx eyes for a moment, debating whether I really wanted to do this. Once I changed the future or told somebody, who knows how the timeline will change? But, that's what I'm trying to do right? Change everything for the better.

With newfound determination, I cleared my throat. "Shisui, I have.. Seen things. Things that have come to pass, so I know they aren't just dreams. In short, I can see some of the future." I was hoping he would buy it and relaxed when his eyes widened. "What do you know?" I took a deep breath, "I know about the coup, and what was ordered to be done about it." He immediately tensed, before glancing around once more with his Sharingan active. He turned his eyes to me again, tomoe spinning lazily within the blood-red irises. "What happens?"

"The entire clan gets massacred by Itachi, except for me, and Danzo kills you and takes one of your eyes before that. Don't trust him. Please Shisui, I don't think he will stop until he gets what he wants. I-i think you should leave Konoha, and become a Nuke-nin. I don't want you to die-" I paused, sucking in a breath and cursing myself when I felt my eyes water. "Sasuke… how long have you?" _Known about the coup? The future?_ "Since I was five." Shisui massaged his temples and sighed, "Can't stay out of trouble, can you minion?" He muttered, then looked up sharply, "You haven't told anyone else?" I shook my head, "No."

He slung an arm around my shoulder, "Don't worry about me, I have no plans on dying."

I smiled back, though a little strained. "Good, cause' I don't want to go through the trouble of stealing a forbidden Jutsu to revive you, so I can kill you again for being stupid." He snickered, ruffling my hair, "Sure."

* * *

_"Holes of the heart are for other people to fill." - Kakashi Hatake_

* * *

_"If being smart does what you say it does, I'll remain a fool for my whole life!" - Naruto_

* * *

**So yeah, Sasuke finally told somebody. Can't have Sushi-kun dying on us can we?**


	6. Chapter 6

I've really been pumping out the last few chapters, ey? I just have the motivation right now.

**Warning; Non-accurate timeline bleh, fluff, Shisui's! POV**

**I don't own Naruto, BLEH**

_When the edibles kick in- _

* * *

_"People can not show each other their true feelings. Fear, suspicion, and resentment never subside." - Madara Uchiha_

* * *

To say Shisui was surprised was an understatement. Sasuke's words rocked him to his core and sent his mind on a frenzy. There's no way Sasuke could have found out about the Coup d'etat without outside interference, or, in this case, _supernatural seer abilities_.

It's not the strangest, nor the most unbelievable thing he's heard of in his lifetime, and with how much S ranked information Sasuke spat out in that one sentence was enough to confirm it. He glanced down at the smaller Uchiha at walking by his side. They were heading back to the compound, something about his little minion having a sleepover with the village jinchuriki.

His even footfalls faltered barely, betraying his inward debating on what to do with this new information. The real question was _how much more did Sasuke know? _He said he's been getting visions since he was five, which is mind-boggling. Did he know the Uzumaki was the Kyuubi? It wouldn't be surprising, considering the boy knows about Danzo.

'_That tidbit of information.' _

Danzo would betray him? He supposed he saw that coming, but put his own worries aside for the village's safety instead. Shisui mulled over Sasuke's suggestion. Become a nuke-nin? Well, he knew that Sasuke wouldn't mislead him, or he could try, but Shisui has known the boy long enough to spot the telltale signs when he was lying. 'Trust the opinion of my trusted future-seeing minion? Or wait and see how the next few months unfold first?

Though the latter seemed a bit foolish, considering Sasuke's whole demeanor during their walk to the river and the compound, and their secret meeting itself. The boy was frightened, horribly worried, with fresh tears brimming in his wide onyx eyes. He smiled fondly at his little minion. He was just a scared child trying to act tough with too much knowledge that no one should bear, much less a kid. He was still innocent, despite knowing what horrible things would happen.

He ruffled Sasuke's hair. Sasuke didn't protest this time, even going as far as to lean into his touch. Shisui chuckled, then commented to lighten the atmosphere. "Finally joining me in the dark side huh Sasuke-chan?" Sasuke made a face, "buy me more fruit and I'll consider."

He looked up and hopped over the compound wall, grabbing Sasuke's waist last second. Shisui shunshined across the rooftops and stopped near the archway where a boy with yellow hair was sassing the guards. He stopped and lowered a frowning Sasuke to the ground.

He turned his glare on Shisui, running his hands through his long, wild hair. Shisui snickered, earning a rather strong whack on the arm for an eight-year-old. "Sasuke! They wouldn't let me through without you. You're late TEME." Naruto announced, frowning at Sasuke's growing smirk. "I was lost on the road of life." He replied with a casual shrug, Naruto's frown changing into a deadpan stare.

He had a bag slung over his shoulder and his shirt that had a few dirt stains on it, Shisui noted idly. The whiskered boy skipped over to Sasuke and shot a suspicious look up at Shisui. He squinted his eyes, "Who are you dattebayo?"

Before Shisui could answer, Sasuke beat him to it. "My beloved cousin-" He glanced back at Shisui with a mischievous gleam in his dark eyes. "And loyal slave. Don't mind him." He waved Shisui off like a mildly annoying fly, causing the older boy to deflate. "So mean minion." He mumbled, whining when Sasuke and his friend ran off to his room to scheme. One of the gate guards snickered, "He's got you whipped Shisui."

He shot a hurt look at the male, "Haru-kun, so _mean_."

* * *

Shisui turned to Itachi, expression serious.

They were at their usual meeting place, the Naka River. Sasuke and Naruto were sound asleep together, it was actually kind of adorable, the way they clung to each other in their sleep. No one was out here except for them, which was necessary considering the bomb Shisui was going to drop on Itachi. "Sasuke wanted to tell me something today, said it was a secret, so I brought him out here." The moonlight shimmered on the river's ever-changing surface, turning his voice wistful at the end.

He steeled himself, "Sasuke… he… he knows about the coup." Itachi's whole demeanor changed, the look in his eyes promising a painful death to whoever told him. "He knows about Danzo as well." Itachi stiffened, Sharingan spinning to life in his distress. "He told me he can see the future, or, well, some of it at least. That's how he knew." Itachi was silent.

"Sasuke knows what's going to happen, or what would. He said that Danzo would kill me, and take one of my eyes, giving the other to you. And orders to massacre the clan." His voice was soft and took a few steps to stand in front of him. "He mentioned the visions started when he was five."

His best friend narrowed his eyes in thought, before he deactivated his Sharingan and crossed his arms, suddenly cold. "I- that was around the time that Sasuke started acting a little differently, being more outgoing, affectionate." his low voice carrying over to Shisui's ears easily."I wrote it off as nothing, but… If what you said is correct, then he must have seen something to prompt that change. Almost like…"

"Almost like he was preparing for something." Shisui finished, nodding and crossing his own arms. "He trains almost obsessively, like something big is coming, or like he's going to lose us." They both mulled over their revelations, it was Itachi who broke the silence next. "What are we going to do? If nothing short of massacring the clan will stop the coup…"

Shisui looked into his eyes with a determined face, "I have an idea. I can use kotoamatsukami on Fugaku." Itachi shook his head, "Danzo would try to get to you before then. And even so, the other coup members could take Fugaku's place and start a war anyway." Shisui looked down, his heart started to race. There were so many things that could go wrong.

"Before Danzo takes any of my eyes, I think we should take Sasuke's idea into consideration." Itachi looked up sharply, Shisui offering him a small smile. "Itachi, even if it comes down to it, Sasuke would never hate you. I believe that wholeheartedly." His friend closed his eyes, letting out a shaky breath. "If it comes down to the clan, Sasuke, and the village, I'd put the latter two first."

* * *

I woke up to sunlight on my face, disturbing my particularly nice dream about riding a motorcycle and chucking glitter bombs at random civilians. Too bad they don't exist yet.

I idly noticed a warm body curled up against my back and snoring quietly. Peeling open my eyes, I strained to look over my shoulder and had to hold in my snickers at a dopey looking sleeping Naruto. We were lying back front, with the jinchuriki curled up into a ball and drooling on the back of my nightshirt.

Curling my lip up in disgust I shimmied out of the covers and glanced at the clock on my nightstand.

It read **7:47.**

Shit, the academy starts at 8! I quickly dug through my dresser and grabbed some pants and boxers, throwing open my closet door and retrieving a shirt. I ran into the bathroom and changed quickly, brushing my teeth and relieving myself.

I dried off my washed hands with a towel, trotting calmly back into the room. Chancing a glance at Naruto told me he was still sleeping soundly. I grabbed my schoolbag off the floor and stuffed my sketchbook and askew pencils inside, picking it up and slinging it over my shoulder. It was about a 15-minute walk to the academy if you speed walked. 10 or less if you roof-hopped I guestimated. I looked at the clock again.

**7:53.**

I sauntered up to my bed, and yanked the covers off Naruto, making him shiver for a moment. "Oi, get up dobe, we're gonna be late for class." he groaned rubbing at his eyes, "Wha-a?" He yawned sleepily, before stilling. His eyes shot open and he leapt up from the bed, "WE'RE LATE?!" he yelped, digging into his bag and pulling out a shirt and shorts, rushing into the bathroom to breeze through his morning routine.

I chuckled, before calling out, "Meet me outside the house Naru-chan." I waited for his muffled 'ok teme.' before leaving the room.

I found Mikoto in the kitchen, preparing some tea for yourself. She giggled at my disheveled hair, causing me to flush in embarrassment. "I forgot the brush- shit." I hurried back to my room, apologizing quickly to Kaa-chan who scolded me for cursing. Tearing open the door and making Naruto jump five feet in the air made me laugh, and made a grab for the hairbrush and shutting it again.

There was a small mirror on my dresser than I used to judge my reflection. After getting the majority of the knots and tangles out, my hair fell into it's natural, surprisingly soft spiky normality. It reached my mid-back, making me realize it sort of resembled Maddie, before shrugging it off.

Even if somebody in the leaf remembered what Madara looked like, it's not a crime for an Uchiha to have long hair, _well, it might be for me. My hair's too perfect to be legal-_

"Sasuke, stop checking yourself out and let's go!" My blond companion tugged on my arm, making me pout. "Whatever, lead the way. _Jealous haters can screw off, my hair is great_…" I mumbled the last part, hurrying to the front door and slipping on my ninja sandals.

* * *

We both burst into the classroom as Iruka was doing roll call, Naruto apologizing sheepishly while I checked my nails. _Should I paint them? Maybe black or a dull purple like the Akatsuki? Doesn't Itachi have his nails painted in the future too-_

"Sasuke!" Iruka yelled, using his infamous 'big-head' genjutsu. "Huh, did you say something?" he fumed while some of the other kids snickered. "Sasuke-san, just go sit down." I just lightly shrugged my shoulder and sauntered over to the back of the class, sitting in my self proclaimed seat with Naruto joining me a second later. I immediately pulled out my good ole' sketchbook before opening it up to a blank page. Inspiration hit me like Rasa would hit his wife if she were alive, so, pretty hard.

I retrieved a pencil and listened with only one ear to Iruka's lecture, sketching the face and starting on the hair. I paused, before going with cracks across his face, shading in the tomoe in his visible eye. I started the shoulders and colored in the hair, the pencil going _scritch-scratch_ on the paper.

The half-finished portrait of Madara stared back into my grinning face with a malicious smirk, his face saying something like '_lowly lesser beings can't compare with my HUGE dick.'_

I tensed instinctively when Naruto loomed over my shoulder, "What're you so happy bout' teme?" I set my pencil down, my grin turning slightly maniacal. "An Uchiha ancestor, a very famous one." He squinted at me, then back down at the page. "Don' recognize him, but your art is really good." He offered a grin of his own.

To be honest we probably looked like budding villains. Well, me definitely, Naruto seems more like a hero who still does destructive shit and is buddy-buddy with the crazy one- _mwah_. Not like I'm evil or anything though, well… a little I guess. I can't help it that the Uchiha elders' houses are so easy to break into and trap!

"Sasuke! Naruto!" Iruka called, scowling.

We both turned to blink owlishly at the whole class and Iruka-sensei staring at us expectantly. (Shikamaru was already asleep.)

"I'm sorry, did you say something?" we both said unanimously.

His scowl deepened.

* * *

"Stupid Iruka-sensei, can't appreciate true art," I muttered under my breath, scrubbing the desks clean with a rag and some disinfectant spray. Naruto nodded in agreement, "Yeah, he had that paint balloon coming." he grouched, making me bark out a laugh. "Still can't believe you carry all that stuff on you. The eraser dust after the paint was simply _devious_." he nodded again, scrubbing out a rather tough paint stain out of the floor.

I wiped my brow, looking out the window to check the sun's position. "True art is eternal," I added as an afterthought, making Naruto glanced up at me from the floor. "But the pranks were really cool dattebayo, and they happened fast." He squinted, "Pranks are an art in itself."

I shook my head, "Art that is fleeting can never be appreciated for long, however, Art that is eternal is truly beautiful." Naruto threw his hands up in the air in triumph over getting rid of the stain, then scowled at me. "But pranks can be beautiful too, and they are-" He fumbled around the word. "Fleeting."

* * *

Somewhere in two different places in the elemental nations, Deidara and Sasori sneezed.

"Ugh, un." Deidara scowled in disgust at the snot on his brand new shirt.

Meanwhile, Sasori wondered how he was able to sneeze if he was a puppet.

* * *

I snickered to myself, amused that we both had that little art argument. Maybe when I meet the other two artists one day we can swap better points and debates about the subject.

I sighed, wiping the last table clean and tossing the dirty rag and spray bottle onto Iruka's desk. The sun was setting, the golden rays of fading light illuminating the classroom quite beautifully. Naruto and I left the academy, saying our goodbyes and left in opposite directions.

Using chakra, I hopped onto the roof of a nearby building and began running across the rooftops in the direction of the Uchiha district. I landed nimbly on top of the archway and jumped onto another rooftop, curious about where my brother and cousin were.

I stopped suddenly when I heard a commotion, and dropped down from the roof, landing quietly and peeking around a nearby corner. I saw Fugaku and a few other members of the police force yelling at a tense Itachi.

"Shisui wouldn't just run away, he wasn't that kind of man. You did something to him!" One of the officers shouted.

Itachi seemed fed up and knocked the three men off their feet, looking quite murderous if I had to say. He unleashed a wave of killer intent that made me weak-kneed. I gripped the side of the building, adrenaline kicking in. _So this was killer intent felt like?_

Despite myself, I felt giddy, and a grin showing too many teeth take over my expression. It was so… invigorating- but I couldn't find my body the will to move.

Almost as soon as it had come, the weight in the air vanished along with my grin, instead, I adopted a concerned expression. Itachi turned away from our father and the two still-shaking officers, walking down the street in my direction. "Itachi-nii?" I asked quietly, my bag suddenly felt heavier than lead, dread pooling in my stomach. He tensed again, flicking his eyes towards me. I approached slowly and gripped the edge of his sleeve, "C-can we go to my room?" I asked just as quietly, briefly glancing at the men behind us.

He hesitantly took my hand and lead me away, both of us ignoring the eyes trying to bore holes through our backs- more so, Itachi's. We both didn't say anything, not until he closed the door to my room, drawing the curtains closed on the room's window. He sat on the edge of my bed, I quickly clambered up next to him, leaning into his side. "Where's-" I paused, then blinked. When was I _nervous_ around my brother? I looked up at him, locking our eyes together, "Where's Shisui." he stayed silent for another moment, before sighing and running a hand through his hair.

"He left… like you suggested. Danzo confronted him sooner than we thought." His voice was barely above a whisper. My eyes widened, "Did he-" Itachi shook his head. "He didn't get his eyes." I nodded at that, then wrapped my arms around his torso, leaning into his hand when he ran a hand through my hair.

We were quiet once more, just finding comfort in each other's presence. I thought for a moment, before deciding to voice my thoughts. "At least he didn't die." my voice was soft. I was relieved really. Now Shisui was a missing-nin, and if the massacre really did happen this time around…

Itachi wouldn't be alone out there.

I sighed, barely audible, then shifted my weight around. I took this moment to look up at Itachi again, offering him a small smile. "I'm glad." I felt my eyes water but ignored that. "Even if everything doesn't end too well-" I wiped a hand at my eyes, tightening my grip. "I'll be fine if I have you and Sushi-kun."

He let out a breathless chuckle at my nickname for Shisui, before ruffling my hair once more and stood, peeling my arms off him gently. "Goodnight Otouto," he said, then slipped out of my room silently, leaving me alone with my thoughts. I yawned- t_hat bastard, he jinxed it,_ and slipped out of my clothes, letting my bag fall to the floor with a soft thud. Grabbing a nightshirt I stumbled over to the bathroom, brushing my teeth and hair.

Cuddling into my covers, I felt my eyelids grow heavy. Yawning again, I succumbed to the desire to sleep, breathing out deeply, my hair splaying across my pillow. I silently hoped the massacre wouldn't happen, but it would only really end that well if the coup d'etat leaders called the coup itself off and forgot about it.

I yawned again, my brows furrowed at the thought. _That really is wishful thinking._

* * *

_"I'm not gonna run away, I never go back on my word! That's my nindo: my ninja way." - Naruto_

* * *

_"If the world ended, who would you spend your last day with?" -Naruto_

* * *

**Yeah, Shisui's lives! Sasuke and Itachi will all probably meet up in the future with Sushi-kun and scheme or something.**

**Fun fact; I might be posting the same quotes on some chapters since I'm too lazy to go back and check.**

**Sasuke's hair is perfect. No debate. **


	7. Chapter 7

_**Here it is boys, another chapter.**_

_**I don't own diddly darn Naruto**_

**Warning: Some fluff, Naruhina moment, mildly disturbing part at the end.**

* * *

_"A genius, huh? What does that mean? Genius? So I was not born with a whole lot of natural talent, not gifted like Neji ... but I work hard and I never give up! That is my gift...that is my ninja way" - Rock Lee_

* * *

Yawning, I looked up as Iruka reprimanded Naruto for being late- again. It had been about half a year since Shisui had disappeared, and I could feel the tension in the air at home getting worse each passing month. I idly wondered what Shisui was doing right now, lips settling in a smirk when Naruto was told he had detention for pranking somebody, _again_. The bright-eyed boy dragged his feet and plopped down into his seat next to me with a huff, crossing his arms and burying his head in them. "If it'll make you feel any better, I'll stay after to help clean." I offered, earning a beaming grin from him. "Thanks, dattebayo. Aft'r all, you're the one who helped set that prank up."

I mirrored his grin, "hmm, can't let you take all the credit for it, dobe."

He huffed again, failing to cover his mirth, "Sasuke-teme."

"Hn," I replied, tapping my pencil on my open sketchbook, suffering from an aggravating case of art block. All of my attempts at people were just sad, and my hand just didn't have the usual steadiness today that it usually had. On the upside, I perfected my fireball jutsu a week ago, much to my father's delight, or well, satisfaction. I still think he was disappointed that I hadn't gotten it as young as Itachi had. I tore my eyes away from the blank page, opting instead to scan the faces of my peers.

I pointedly ignored Sakura's blushing face when we made eye contact. It's not like I hate the girl or anything, it's just that I'd rather put off dealing with anything like a crush as long as possible. Maybe it was stupid and childish, but I'm a child dammit! I can afford to act like one. At least Ino didn't have it as bad as Sakura, and was tolerable, surprisingly.

"_Oh mary, contrary, how does your garden grow?_" I murmured quietly in English, having the song stuck in my head the past few hours. "_Come with me, and you'll be, the seventh maid in a row_." I sighed and hung my head in defeat, closing my sketchbook and stuffing it back into my bag. Nestling my head into my arms, I stared out the window, contemplating what to do after school. Well, besides helping Naruto clean up the prank I had a hand in making. We targeted one of the teachers that purposely left Naruto out of things, and gave him harder tests. You'd think that adults would try to understand or at least tolerate the kid, especially the ones' who are ninjas. _Damn fools._

As I found a bird circling around in the sky very entertaining for my bored mind, Naruto borrowed my pencil to write down the notes that Iruka wrote on the blackboard, sticking his tongue out in concentration. "Hey, Sasuke," Shikamaru called softly, making me look over my shoulder at him. "Hn?" he rolled his eyes, propping his head up with his hand. "Are you ok? You've been off lately." I raised arm eyebrow, "How so?" Shikamaru gave me a knowing look, "You seem nervous, anxious. I didn't want to ask since It'd be too troublesome, but it's starting to worry Choji."

Smirking, I propped my own head up with my hand, gazing at him with half-lidded eyes. "Aw, you really do care Shika-chan." he groaned, before narrowing his own eyes at me. "If you wanna keep changing the subject because you don't what to talk about it, whatever. Just know that we're your friends." _And we're here for you._ My smirk wavered, "You're too smart for your own good Shikamaru." Shaking my head, I returned to looking out the window. It's not like I can confide in them about the massacre, or the clan, or Shisui, or hell, Danzo. Not yet at least, besides, talking about it wouldn't exactly help things as they are now.

There's also the matter of anyone who would be listening in, and the safest place I know about I'm forbidden from entering, so, that's a no-go. Other than all that fun stuff, my birthday is coming up in a month, and we're starting spars in Taijutsu class. With Shisui unavailable, I'd taken to harassing Genin and Chunin to spar with me, so I didn't fall behind. I could give most genin a run for their money, winning quite a few matches, which fueled my ego, so that's always nice. Although I'm being turned down lately, meaning I'll have to secure a partner soon. Maybe Lee? _Though I've only spotted him a few times over the past months. I'd have to track him down somehow…_

Some of our classmates laughed when Naruto made a fool of himself while answering a question, but I had stayed silent and didn't comment on it.

* * *

Taijutsu class rolled around, making everyone a bit antsy. We all stood outside a makeshift circle in the dirt, Iruka off to the side. He began explaining the rules, while Mizuki stepped up beside him, smiling disarmingly at all us children. Iruka finished, and stepped back and let his supposed friend take the lead.

"The first match is…"

I looked up sharply, eyes narrowing at Mizuki-_sensei._ The man had been getting more and more involved with this class, the fact he was Naruto's first villain was something I didn't dare forget either. _Wasn't he a spy for Orochimaru or something? _

"Uchiha Sasuke vs. Uzumaki Naruto."

I forced my muscles to relax and met Naruto in the middle of the ring. We did the required seal for spars, backing off a few feet from each other. Offering him a smirk, I resumed my Taijutsu stance. The closest comparison would be Itachi's or Shisui's, but I also adapted it with some offhand kung fu moves from my past life. I smirk-grinned at Naruto as he tensed his muscles and assumed his own stance. "Make this interesting Naru-chan." I said, tilting my head to the side innocently. He scoffed, "I'm going to beat you Sasuke-teme." he said firmly, then pointed at me, grin turning ferial. "Don' underestimate me dattebayo!"

"Begin!" Mizuki shouted, bringing his hand down abruptly.

Needless to say, it was pretty much a one-sided massacre.

Naruto charged headstrong into the fight and aimed a sloppy punch at my face, which I ducked and retaliated with a kick of my own. He let out an 'oof', but managed to keep his ground and not fall over. I narrowed my eyes and aimed a rapid succession of punches towards his solar plexus and chest. He managed to block a few with his arms but doubled over, out of breath from my last hit. I went in for a high kick aimed for his head, but he managed to grab it, making my eyes widen a fraction. I twisted my leg out of his grip and kicked him in the stomach with my other, sending him skidding a few feet back, stumbling. Naruto just wasn't at my level, and wouldn't be for a while. Somehow that thought saddened me, I really enjoyed fighting… Perhaps a bit too much.

"Match over, Sasuke wins!" Mizuki called, making Naruto snapped his head up towards him. "But I'm not done yet!" Mizuki gestured to his feet, and, sure enough, he was out of the ring. He gaped like a fish before scrunching his nose at my arrogant smirk. "That was dirty dattebayo." I snickered, shifting out of my fighting stance and shrugging, "Perhaps, but shinobi don't play fair." We locked our fingers in the seal of reconciliation, Naruto meeting my eyes with a determined gaze. "One day I'll beat you." I smiled in return, "Hn." he squinted at me as we walked back over to our group of friends. "Oi, don't go all Uchiha on me." I rolled my eyes playfully before sauntering up to Shikamaru, slinging my arm around his shoulder.

Locking my eyes on Hinata as she approached Naruto with a small container in her hands, I nodded towards them. "Observe," I said in a mysterious tone of voice like we were watching two particularly fascinating species of animals in their natural environment. "N-naruto-kun, I-i was learning how t-to make healing ointment t-t-the other day. Let m-me treat your b-bruises for you." She flushed, looking away shyly and clutching the tiny container to her chest. Naruto smiled at her, "I'm fine, don't worry Hinata-chan. I'm tougher than I look." He pointed a thumb towards himself, "Besides, if I couldn't take a few weak hits from Sasuke-teme, then how could I become a strong Hokage?"

Her eyes shifted to her feet in visible disappointment, but she was also inspired by his impromptu speech, so, it was a weird combination. "O-ok." she replied quietly, while Naruto patted her on the shoulder, making her freeze up. "You're a very nice person Hina-chan, but you can still test the ointment you made if any of our friends get hurt dattebayo." he beamed, and Hinata's whole face turned red before she began to stumble, fainting into his arms. I motioned towards a distressed Naruto who handed the girl off to Ino, before meeting his eyes expectantly.

Shikamaru raised a brow, making me give him a flat stare. "Do you think we should interfere?" I asked. He yawned in response, "Too troublesome."

"Everything is troublesome for you."

"Hm."

"_Just a normal day for wizards in training."_

"What?"

I waved him off, "Nothing Shika-kun. Anyways, it will probably be your turn soon to spar." He groaned, "You're going to jinx it." Smirking in response, I replied, "Good."

"_What a drag."_

* * *

The sun was beginning to set when we finished cleaning the classroom. Naruto had to write, 'Pranks will result in detention' fifty times on the board then had to erase it when Iruka gave his approval. We wiped down the desks, swept the floor, and wiped the blackboard until it was spotless. Iruka came back into the classroom a few minutes after we'd finished, nodding to himself at the state of the classroom. "Hm, since you've learned your lesson, how about we go to Ichiraku's?" Naruto nodded enthusiastically, cheering and fist-pumping the air.

He turned his attention on me, tugging on my sleeve. "Sasuke. Wanna come to get ramen with me?" Naruto asked, giving me a hopeful look. I shrugged, I doubted my family would mind if I was a little late. "Sure, I've never been to Ichiraku's." He gaped at me, before setting his lips into a grim line. "You definitely need to come then," he said with utter seriousness, before basically dragging me out of the classroom and all the way to the iconic ramen stand.

We promptly sat down on the stools, Naruto between Iruka and I immediately chatting away with the old man. He looked at me quizzically, "Is this your friend you keep talking about Naruto?" said boy in question nodded rapidly, laughing out his reply "Yeah, Sasuke-teme and I hang out all the time, but he's never been here dattebayo! So I had to bring him here-" while the old man nodded away and offered a comment now and then to Naruto's enthusiastic recounts of our adventures, his daughter turned to me with a small smile. "Good evening Sasuke-san, what would you like to order?"

"Three bowls of Miso ramen", Naruto chirped his order out, while I motioned to him with my head. "I'll have the same. Only one bowl please." as they worked on our orders, Naruto turned to me, grin becoming more resigned. "Hey Sasuke, are you ok?"

I blinked at that, staring at the jinchuriki, my eyes narrowing. "What do you mean?" Naruto huffed and rolled his eyes, "You've been kinda different lately teme, and I was worried cause' we're friends." I sighed, my lips curling into a rueful smile. "I've just got a lot on my mind is all." was my quiet response. He pursed his lips, "You can tell me anything dattebayo." I inwardly groaned, first Shikamaru and now Naruto? Am I _really_ that easy to read? Seemingly reading my mind, Naruto shook his head with a soft smile. "I can tell when somethings bothering you y'know. And I don't like to see you worrying so much." This time I sent him a small smile in return, "Guess it's harder to keep things from my best friends than I initially thought."

He stilled, then beamed at me. "Yeah, I just don't want you to handle all your problems on your own, it hurts to see you trying to shoulder everything like that." I shook my head, eyes crinkling with my smile as I looked at him with a certain fondness. Teuchi took this moment to hand us our bowls, smiling good-naturedly at us with a warm, "Dig in!"

We ate our ramen in relative silence. I'll say this; Ichiraku's ramen is the best I've ever had, and I've only had storebought ramen once or twice in my past life. As I slurped up the broth, I felt the happiest that I've been in a long time, all my worries melting off my shoulders and replacing themselves with a fondness for my friends. I felt warm, inside and out. We finished our bowls and thanked them, before leaving the stand in higher spirits and laughing about the pranks we've pulled in the past.

"I think it's time I saw your apartment," I said on a whim, keeping pace with my friend. He rubbed the back of his head, "hehe, I guess. It's only fair dattebayo." despite the years I've known him, he only came over to the compound for a sleepover, and consequently, I've never been to his place. He squinted at me, "But won' your parents get mad at you for being out so late?" we both shuddered at the memory of Mikoto's reaction the last time she was displeased with me. I waved him off, "I'm already late, what's a few more minutes?" I grinned at him cheekily.

We made it to the complex in record time, Iruka waving us goodnight and heading to his own home. Naruto dug around in his short pockets for his apartment key, before retrieving it and unlocking the door. The place was… a mess to say the least. Ramen cups scattered haphazardly around, trash bags near the front door, ready to be disposed of. The wallpaper was peeling, and it looked like he tried to paint it over with bright orange, to hide the cracks and dents. His bed was disheveled, blankets were thrown on the floor in haste to make it to the academy before he was late. _Which was almost every day._

I gave him a deadpan stare, while he started sweating bullets. "It's not that bad-" I pointed to the kitchen, dirty dishes stacked up in the sink, and large stains on the tiles. I sighed, running a hand through my hair spikes, and got to work immediately. I made his bed, took out the trash and ramen cups, wiped the kitchen floor clean, did the dishes, and washed the wooden flooring all in record time. By the time I was finished, Naruto had taken to sitting on his couch and watching me in morbid fascination. I pulled off the rubber gloves and deposited them in a cabinet under the sink where I found them, wiping the sweat off my brow, and leveled my unimpressed stare at the whiskered boy again.

"When I come over for a sleepover in a few days, this place had better be as spotless as I made it." to emphasize my point, I focused (my admittedly weak) killer intent on him, cracking my knuckles. He nodded rapidly, holding up his hands as if to calm a wild animal. "D-don't worry Sasuke." satisfied, I nodded then checked the time on his alarm clock.

**9:34**

"Oh shit, I'm _late_." I breathed, then bolted out the door, throwing a goodbye over my shoulder and praying Kaa-chan shows me mercy and doesn't skin me alive with a rusty butter knife.

There weren't many other people out tonight, though when I reached the gate it was eerily silent, unlike any other night before. My footsteps slowed, my heart leaping up into my throat when I smelled it.

_Blood._

'Fuckfuckshitdammitdanzothatbastarditstoosoon-' I sprinted down the street, freezing in place when I came upon my aunt and uncle's bodies. I stared at them numbly, the dark pools of blood shimmering in the moonlight. I forced myself to keep moving, choking back the gags that didn't help my already ragged breathing. I tuned out the bloody corpses I passed, people that I knew and spent the last three years with. Cousins, those kind old ladies that used to give me candy, the gate guards- twins. Haru-kun and Haruka-chan, who were stern but still joked around with Shisui and me when we would spend time together-

My heart was threatening to burst out of my chest by the time I yanked the front door open. It was too quiettooquiettooquiet-

I stumbled my way over to my parent's bedroom, hands trembling and slipping onto the door's handles and pulled.

_Toda**y was supposed to **_

_** be a good d**ay._

_It started out ok, it became so good. So warm-_

_Everything is-_

I choked back the tears already falling from my eyes, vison turning sharper when I gazed at the still forms of my parents. _Mikoto, Fugaku, It-_

He stood over them, turning towards me slowly.

_He was crying_, the Mangekyo Sharingan spinning wildly in his eyes.

They widened open seeing me, this horrible scene burned into my memory.

"_Otouto,"_ Itachi said barely above a whisper.

I fell onto the floor, my knees giving up on me. My bangs fell over my eyes, obscuring my tears. Itachi appeared in front of me, Sharingan met Sharingan. "Nii-san," I replied, screwing my eyes shut.

_They burned-_

_Eve__**rything is-**_

_** My own special h**__ell._

Those eyes, red from crying, iris' boasting a shuriken pattern. I idly noted.

I felt myself starting to lose consciousness. _Genjutsu?_

A pair of arms stopped my head from hitting the floor.

The last thing I heard was a shaky, "I'm sorry, forgive me Otouto." before drifting off into unconsciousness.

* * *

_You are working for your justice and I for mine. We are just ordinary people driven to revenge in the name of justice. But if revenge is called justice, then that justice breeds yet more revenge. And becomes a chain of hatred. Living within it, aware of the past, predicting the future. That is what it means to know history. We cannot help but know that people cannot understand each other. The world of ninjas is ruled by hatred." - Pain_

* * *

_"Hey, you spiky, ale vera bastard!" - Naruto to Zetsu._

* * *

**Well, aren't I a stinker? Thought it was gonna be all happy and fuzzy then BOOM massacre. Yep, Sasuke couldn't prevent it. **

**Don't you all love me right now?**

**Sad boy hours.**


	8. Chapter 8

**_"Mr. Smith, I swear I'm doing my work."_**

**_*Writes this*_**

**Warning; Different POVs!, Sad boy hours, Tomatoes **

* * *

_"What is better; To be born good, or to overcome your evil nature through great effort?" -Paarthurnax(Skyrim)_

* * *

_Naruto POV_

Sasuke hasn't been to school for a few days.

Sasuke's _never_ been absent before. Sometimes late, but he always showed up in the end.

Naruto trudged outside when lunch rolled around, pausing when he overheard a conversation between two of the girls who proclaimed they were 'Sasuke-kun's biggest fans.' "Didn't you hear Kana? Sasuke-kuns' in the hospital." the redhead's eyes widened, "Did his brother-" Megami shushed her, "We're not supposed to talk about this, but-" Naruto's heart began to race, resolving to find Shikamaru. After all, the pineapple-haired boy always seemed to know what was going on around them, surely he'd know about Sasuke?

He found the other boy under the tree in their usual lunch spot, seemingly asleep. Once Naruto stopped in front of him, Shikamaru's eyelids fluttered open. Naruto idly noted the faint bags under them but didn't comment on it. "Shikamaru, do you know what happened to Sasuke dattebayo? I heard that he's in the hospital." Naruto frowned, worriedly fidgeting in place. Shikamaru straightened, Choji looked away with watery eyes. "You didn't know?" His voice was soft, "Sasuke's brother… It's not my story to tell. Visit him in the hospital and ask him."

Naruto felt dread pooling in the pit of his stomach. He gulped, nodded, then took off, making sure Iruka didn't notice him slip out the academy gates. Naruto hurriedly made his way towards where the hospital was located, ignoring any looks sent his way. Once he arrived, he walked up to the lady working at the front desk, speaking up to get her attention. "Um, do you know which room Uchiha Sasuke is in?" He asked politely. The woman did a double-take once she saw him, then eyed him with disinterest, coughing into her hand. "Uchiha-san isn't allowed to have any visitors right now, please come back later." Was her curt response, the paper on the desk taking her attention once more.

Naruto scowled, "Hey lady! Sasuke's my friend, I need to see him dattebayo!" She glanced up, mirroring his glare. "Kid, I just told you. The Uchiha isn't allowed any visitors right now." He huffed, storming off down the halls, outrunning the receptionist who gave chase. He stopped outside of a door, opening it, then closing it when he saw an old man on a bed. He flitted from room to room, apologizing, then yelping and dodging the irritated woman from before. Finally, Naruto found him- with Jiji in his room. "Sasuke!" he panted out of breath, hiding behind the Hokage when the irate women entered the room. "I-i'm terribly sorry Hokage-sama, I couldn't stop him-"

Hiruzen waved her off with an amused smile, "It's quite alright Ayano-san. Naruto-kun is allowed to be here." Naruto ignored the rest of their conversation and turned his attention to his best friend. "Naruto," Sasuke said with a small, strained smile. He looked like he'd been crying, his hair was disheveled, and the worn t-shirt and sweatpants he wore didn't help his overall appearance. "Sasuke." He approached slowly, slipping onto the hospital mattress Sasuke was sitting on, scooting next to him. "What happened teme? Shikamaru didn't tell me- but I heard you were in the hospital and was hurt or some 'hing, and I was really worried-"

His friend chuckled, the sound deep in his throat, and closed his eyes. "I'm not injured dobe… do you really think that low of me that I'd let myself get killed?" When he opened his eyes again, red irises bored into his bright blue ones, the mismatched tomoe spinning lazily. His own eyes widened, and he leaned forward to examine them, making Sasuke chuckle again. "Why're your eyes like that?" Sasuke smiled more genuinely this time, tapping the area under his left eye idly. "The kekkei genkai of the Uchiha clan. The Sharingan. I unlocked it due to the… 'event' that occurred a couple of days ago…" he trailed off, Sharingan fading from his eyes, adopting that tired look again. His dark eyes flitted to the ground, and Naruto could feel that his friend was retreating into himself again.

He shook his shoulders, glaring determinedly into eyes, ignoring the surprise that dawned on his face. "The Sasuke I know doesn't give up or wallow in his own self-pity. I may not know what happened or what's going on- but you're not alone teme! Shikamaru, Choji, Ino, Sakura, Hinata, Kiba, even Shino are all your friends. _I'm your friend._" He wiped at his own eyes, matching Sasuke's wide ones with a fierce look. "So don't make yourself suffer alone." W_e both don't have to- I'm not alone anymore either._

Sasuke choked back a sob. The dam broke, salty tears started falling down his cheeks. Naruto wrapped his arms around his friend, making Sasuke bury his face into his shoulder, returning the hug. After a few minutes, the tears stopped, and Sasuke continued in a scratchy voice, "My family is gone. I feel responsible." Naruto turned his head to look at his face. "Itachi-nii left the village- he's a nuke-nin now. Shisui is hell knows where, he might be dead." He took a deep, shuddering breath. "I'm the only Uchiha left in Konoha. _I-i saw my parent's bodies. I can't unsee them._ One of the _perks_ of the _Sharingan_." He spat that last part, tightening his grip.

Naruo stayed silent, knowing Sasuke had more to say. "I'll bounce back soon. Well, it's true I've been wallowing in my own grief these last few days, during the times I've been awake that is." Sasuke sighed, shutting his eyes. "It hurts. It's so painful." he gripped his shirt near his heart with a shaky hand, blinking, and meeting Naruto's eyes again. "I just need to heal, and you're right. I-i think I need to get out of this room, the hospital. Death clings to the air here and it really doesn't help my mood as is." he went quiet, glancing back at the space behind him.

The Hokage and that lady had left to give them privacy. "Are you going back home?" Naruto asked, already expecting his answer. "No, not so soon. I... I'll return eventually, just not now." he nodded, slowly unpeeling his arms off his friend, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, you could always stay at my apartment if you wan' to." he pointed a thumb to himself, offering Sasuke a grin. "And I'm sure Shikamaru wouldn't mind if you stayed with his clan too Dattebayo."

Sasuke wiped at his face and managed a smirk, "I told you we'd have a sleepover right?"

* * *

_Kakashi POV_

Anbu Hound watched through a window the nine-tails Jinchuriki and the last Uchiha as they attempted to cook, snickering silently to himself when the pan caught fire. The Uchiha, 'Sasuke', smacked Naruto over the head, turning the stove off and dosing the fire with a bottle of water, giving his failed meal a mournful look. Hound circulated some chakra to his ears, cringing as Naruto screeched when Sasuke tackled him. "You ruined my tomatoes!" Sasuke stated, projecting impressively potent killer intent for a child. "P-please spare me!" He pleaded, eyes going wide in terror at Sasuke's murderous expression. "I h-have some allowance- I can replace them!" Sasuke paused and contemplated this for a moment, before shrugging and getting up, holding out a hand to the yellow-haired boy. "Acceptable."

Naruto sighed in relief, taking the dark-eyed boy's hand. Hound sighed, pulling out his favorite book and flipping through the pages lazily. He paused when he noticed the Uchiha was looking out the window- and straight at him, Sharingan spinning, and head tilted to the side curiously like a puppy. He stared back, then raised his hand in a lazy greeting, smirking under his mask when Sasuke rolled his eyes, returning to the kitchen. Hound had been the Anbu assigned to guard the last Uchiha and make sure Itachi didn't return to finish his brother off. Though Sasuke did state that Itachi told him he was a waste of time, too weak to be bothered with. His grip tightened on his book, _Itachi…_

He relaxed, continuing his guard duty with an air of melancholy, trying to keep his mind off of things by watching the two academy students.

After a few games they concocted to entertain themselves till the early hours of the morning(and ideas for future pranks.) they seemed to slow down, yawning and getting ready for bed. They both slipped into Naruto's bed, opting to face their backs towards each other. The jinchuriki was soon asleep and snoring away, Sasuke however, wasn't. He gazed up at the ceiling with his arms behind his head, a glazed over look in his eyes. His eyes watered, Sharingan spinning to life, and glanced over at a sleeping Naruto. He let out a shaky breath and resumed roaming his eyes over the cracks and dips in the walls, trying to calm himself enough to sleep. Sasuke deactivated his Sharingan and closed his eyes, rolling over to sleep.

* * *

Shikamaru POV

Shikamaru was lazy, a slacker, daydreamer, and one of Sasuke's closest friends. He was also a genius, though it didn't take one to sense that there was something off about Sasuke. He narrowed his eyes at the back of his head, watching as Sasuke scribbled over something in his Sketchbook and huffed, irritated. Sasuke had been weary and nervous the past couple weeks, with no clear reason why. The other members of 'The breakfast club', or the 'Rookie 9', as Sasuke called their group, was starting to catch on to Sasuke's attitude as well. Even someone as dense as Kiba, subconsciously knew something was _off._ He finally decided to ask him, not really expecting a clear answer, and he didn't receive one. Sasuke felt some obligation, or reason to keep his thoughts to himself, though obviously appreciated it when Shikamaru voiced his concern. A little of the weight on his shoulders lifted, which is all he wanted to accomplish.

He had been horrified when he heard of the massacre.

His whole clan- killed by his brother no less. Sasuke loved his brother, he would often talk about him. Sasuke admired him, it was obvious. Same as his cousin Shisui.

Shisui sometimes came to walk Sasuke home from their group gatherings at the park when Itachi was busy. Shisui was strange, but it was clear he was like another older brother to him, which the group accepted quickly.

"_Aw, my minion is gathering minions of his own! I'm so proud," he said, wiping an imaginary tear from his eye and ruffling Sasuke's already messy hair. He squawked, flailing around and fled his cousin's hand like it was something particularly poisonous. "Sushi-chan, don't kid yourself. You were my slave first." Shisui shook his head, clicking his tongue. "You were my minion long before that Sasuke-chan."_

Shikamaru sighed and his thoughts drifted elsewhere. The grass around him and Choji at the Yamanaka compound swayed in the light breeze. Ino went quiet when she heard what happened, though Shikamaru heard her crying in the bathroom, repeating something over and over again under her breath. Choji's heart went out to their friend, and came to the hospital with the both of them the day before Naruto did. Choji brought a fruit basket with only tomatoes and apples from Sasuke's favorite vendor. Shikamaru brought his shoji set, and Ino brought a bouquet of gladiolus flowers.

Sasuke was a mess, but his mood lifted considerably from their kind gestures.

He wasn't all there though, like he was only showing a little of how he really felt. He seemed listless at times.

Shikamaru closed his eyes and pushed all those thoughts out of his head for the moment. '_Why can't life be simpler?'_

* * *

I slid out of the covers and headed towards the kitchen, content to have a tomato or two- or three, _hell, why not four?_ I opened the fridge and grabbed the bag, retrieving four of the delectable fruits. Grabbing paint, a brush, and my sketchbook from my bag, I sat on the couch and idly painted whatever came to mind at the moment. My movements were still sluggish from having just woken up. I hated the depressing cloud that hung over me these past few days and tried to paint what I felt. Dark blue hues and gray accents, black used sparingly. It was a contrasting painting with the dark colors clashing with the white of the paper.

Ironically, it was a scene at the Uchiha compound, just dark and dreary. I shaped the blots on the ground to vaguely resemble the corpses and used a dark, dull red for the blood. Edgy? Yes. Fucks given? None. I can't just pretend it didn't happen. Might as well embrace the nightmare fuel so it doesn't hurt as much. I was sure the Yamanaka's would be on my ass if someone ever saw this sketchbook and reported it. Maybe thirty minutes, or maybe an hour passed. I'm not sure. What I am sure of though, was that Naruto was waking up. I heard a thud and a yelp, then someone trying to get free of something, then failing. I smirked and rolled my eyes, laying out the pages of the sketchbook so I could make a second painting while the other dried.

Not one to waste paint, the painting had that same dreariness that the first one did, but this one was of a forest. I used the red in the leaves, making the setting maybe a cold fall night. "Happy little trees. There are no mistakes, just happen accidents." I quoted and caped the paint, using the leftover in a small tray near my feet to finish it. Naruto walked out of the bedroom, rubbing at a lump on his head and yawning, trudging into the kitchen to fix some instant ramen for breakfast. Shoving the last tomatoes in my mouth, I chewed slowly, setting my sketchbook on the coffee table to dry. "Hey, teme, what day is it again?" came my friend's tired voice. "Uh, Thursday I think."

"I'm late for the academy again." He groaned, then asked, "When are you going back Sasuke?" I gave a light shrug, then sighed and answered, "Hn, probably next week. I can handle it." He came into the living room after a few minutes and sat next to me, setting his ramen down and breaking a pair of chopsticks. We sat in relative silence, the only sounds were me finishing my tomato and Naruto slurping the instant ramen.

He noticed the sketchbook and sent a concerned look my way. "Uh, Sasuke? Your art is.."

"Depressing? Edgy? Morbid?"

He nodded, "Yeah." I chuckled, "You should have seen my art back in the hospital. It's just my way of coping Naru-chan. Nothing to worry about." I ruffled his already messy hair, making him whine and scoot away. I crossed my arms behind my head, glancing out the window and narrowing my eyes. If I hadn't been mistaken, that flash of white was an Anbu's mask. Oh course it's expected to place Anbu on the 'last Uchiha', can't have anyone else try to kidnap me or something. I rolled my shoulders, standing and stretching. "Welp, you better get to school. Cause' who's gonna take notes for me so I don't fall behind?" I smirked at Naruto's resigned sigh, and grabbed my bag off the floor. "I think I'm gonna spend some time out in Konoha today. I'll be back… whenever." I waved off any questions and went into the bathroom to take a shower.

* * *

The public library in Konoha had sections closed off to non-ninjas and academy students, however, a little henge and the control to wall-walk and you can pass into the chunin section relatively unnoticed. The library was built with no stairs to the chunin and up sections, and a librarian only occasionally glances at the genin-only area. I activated my Sharingan and henged into a brown-haired unremarkable fourteen-year-old with a forehead protector. Next, I layered a simple genjutsu over myself to give anyone who looks at me the sensation of eyes on them from behind.

I grabbed advanced chakra control exercise books, things on fitness(Maito Gai's), a few books on poison making and a guide on the plants around Fire country. On a whim, I picked up a scroll containing a few C-rank Jutsu that I didn't check(A jounin walked in and I could blow my cover.)

I checked those out and noped out of there as quickly and least suspiciously as possible. I paused in an alleyway to drop the genjutsu and henge, setting down my bag and stuffing my acquired items in. I tightened the straps and slung it over my shoulder again, making my way to my favorite fruit stall.

I determinedly ignored the pitying looks and women who would try to pat my shoulder as I walked by, dodging out of the way absentmindedly. It's not like I want to come off as a dick or anything, but those looks hurt my pride, they make me feel weak. Thankfully the old man- _Eiji-san_, only sent me a warm smile and gave me my tomatoes free of charge. I sent him back a smile, "Thanks Eiji-jiji." he gave a hearty chuckle, "You make me sound old." I simply smirked, "Ok, ok. Eiji-_chan_." he waved me off, saying Jiji was fine.

I snacked on one of my fruits while I walked, heading towards the park. It was empty for the most part, except for the little kiddies that would be in the academy when we were genin- _Konohamaru's generation_. I took my seat under the tree my minions and I hung out at, and cracked open one of the books I'd gotten. '_Move pebbles around on hand, move individual grains of sand-' _"Hey, Sasuke!" a familiar voice called, the owner running over and tripping on a couple books I had stacked on the grass. I peered down at his face, raising a brow. "Didn't know you were falling for me now, Kiba." The Inuzuka scowled up at me and jumped up, while Shikamaru and Choji made their way to my spot at a more leisurely pace.

"I'd knew we'd find you here." Shikamaru drawled, stuffing his hands into his pockets. I gave the trio an unimpressed look, "Playing hooky again?" Kiba nodded, setting a tiny Akamaru on his head. "Yeah, and since we know you would go stir crazy sitting around all day, we came to find you." I chuckled, propping my head up with my hand on my knee, and gave them a smirk-grin. "Aw, that's just an excuse because you can't come up with better reason to ditch class." Choji flushed, while the other two didn't seem to care. "Yeah, yeah. Besides, it's not like we have _nothing _to do."

Kiba pulled out a small jar from his pocket, and I idly noted it was filled with swarming fire ants. "Shino got em'." He said proudly, a mischievous gleam in his eye. Eyeing them lazily, I sighed and stood up, putting away my books and taking up my bag again. "Alright, what poor soul are we torturing today?"

"Mizuki-sensei."

* * *

_"Cower in awe! Recoil in despair! Cry your heart out!" - Deidara_

* * *

_"Art, is an explosion!" - Deidara_

* * *

**Next chapter will be Sasuke moving back into the Uchiha compound, going back to the academy, and learning jutsus.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Woot, another chapter boys.**

**Warning; Sasuke, Timeskips, saddest anime death by far. (F for the locks.)**

* * *

_"I realized the most painful thing… That in this world… my existence was not needed." - Haku to Naruto_

* * *

I gave myself a once-over in the bathroom, squinting my eyes at my unruly hair. "I suppose it's time for a haircut. Maybe shoulder length? I can always grow it out later." Humming in contemplation, I turned and walked into the living room, grabbing my bag and the storage scroll on the coffee table with my fruit in it. Tomorrow I'd be going back to the academy, and today I was situating myself in the Uchiha compound. I checked my appearance in the bathroom mirror one last time, nodding to myself. "Y'know, despite the heavy bags under my eyes, and my emo/dead disposition, I'm still fucking hot for an eight-year-old."

I finger gunned my reflection and strolled out of the bathroom and Naruto's apartment door, reaching out my hand to close it. Pausing, I cracked a grin, going back inside and closed the door with a soft click. "Screw using the stairs." I laughed, sliding open the living room window and jumping out, parkouring onto a nearby rooftop. My laughs faded into giggles, then the occasional chuckle as I jumped across the rooftops, smiling against the wind, my dark hair whipping wildly behind me. It felt so nice, freeing, at least compared to most of the days after the massacre.

I accepted that there was nothing that could be done. Maybe in another time, another me might have figured out a way to stop it, obsess over that one event. One horrible disaster in the sea of time. It's kinda funny how insignificant it was compared to the pain in the past and future. Maybe in another time, I wasted the time I was granted in the beginning to prevent it, just to have it happen anyway. After all, big players in this game of life had the deaths of the Uchiha planned in their favor. Imagine stopping the Coup, then having the clan wiped out anyway? That time that I treasured, no matter how short with my new family, I'd never give up no matter what you paid me. Even though it hurts, I can't bring myself to regret growing to care about them.

I stopped, breathing slightly labored, and tears running down my face. I let out a sigh, the smile on my face didn't waver. _No matter what happens here on out, I don't want to live with any regrets._ I reached up and wiped the tears away with my long sleeve, gazing down at the archway in distance. I jumped down from the roof, landing easily on the empty street. My footsteps echoed as I made my way past the archway, reaching out my hand and trailing my fingers along the surface of the pillars. I trudged forward, the district was like a ghost town. "Think of the positives, you can paint anywhere you want. Like a mural on that blank wall where that one grouchy old crone lived."

"Ah. All the Uchihas are probably rolling in their graves at the idea of me having free reign over this place."

* * *

Hound and Cat glanced at each other, quietly agreeing that the last Uchiha is probably clinically insane and that Inoichi's evaluation was full of bullshit.

Inoichi and Sasuke sneezed at the same time, the latter smirking. "I wonder who's thinking about me now." his voice was thick with smugness, making Cat groan and shake her head.

"Men."

* * *

Wiping my nose on my sleeve, I continued my journey through, by all means, my own mini town. I guess Itachi counts, but he's perceived as a traitor, so…

I came to a stop in front of the main house, closing my hand around the door handle, biting my lip. I adopted a determined expression, lips set in a thin line, and opened the door. All the blood, the bodies, they were gone; Anbu cleaned up the place in a few days tops. I flitted about the house, rearranging little things, moving the couch a little to the left; pushing a vase off-center of a table, and opening all the curtains. I stood back, looking around, and sighed. I set my bag down on the couch, straightening and looking at the photos hanging on the wall. The one that captured my gaze was a family photo; taken before I joined the academy.

Itachi, Fugaku, Mikoto, and I were standing against a garden backdrop where the photo had been taken. It was a 'perfect' family photo; Itachi stood in the front next to me. We both had small smiles on our faces. Kaa-chan had her eyes closed, the corner of her mouth were upturned slightly. She had a hand on Itachi's shoulder. To the right of the photo, Fugaku stood behind me, face stern, but the photographer captured a warmth in his eyes that grew rarer and rarer up until the massacre. "I wish there was a way to bring them back to life without their disapproval of my methods," I mused, smiling fondly.

Shaking my head, I headed to the last room I had yet to check. The door was closed, and I cursed the Anbu for unintentionally giving me flashbacks. Fookin Naruto _crystal clear memories_, even without the Sharingan. Rolling my eyes and tugging the doors open, I peered inside. My parent's bodies weren't bleeding out inside, nor was a crying Itachi standing over them with a bloody tanto. I let out a breath I didn't know I'd been holding and closed the door quietly, slumping against the wood. After I took a moment to compose myself, I headed inside my room to grab my weapons' pouch, a hair tie, and the scroll I picked up at the library before going outside and heading to one of the training grounds.

My feet led me to the same training ground that Shisui and I trained at, stopping in the center of the grass clearing. I took the tie off my wrist and put my hair in a low ponytail reminiscent of Itachi's except spikier. I adjusted the weapon pouch on my hip, opening it in a fluid motion and grabbing a handful of senbon, flicking them towards the training dummies. They hit the center in a neat little circle, with the last hitting dead center. I never stopped training, even when I woke up in the hospital. Though I think I drove the nurses crazy when I'd almost hit them when they opened the door with the chopsticks they gave me with every meal. I frowned in thought, slipping into the familiarity of katas, going through them all multiple times to warm up. My breathing my steady, then I slipped into a set of regular yoga stretches, finishing quickly.

I wrung out my hands, then headed towards the small lake near the clearing, stopping at the dock. I scrunch my nose, stepping up at the edge. "Hmm, goal one; master Fireball Jutsu without hand signs." Activation my Sharingan, I hummed, then took a deep breath, exhaling, then doing the hand signs in quick succession.

_Snake → Ram → Monkey → Boar → Horse → Tiger_, "Fire Style; Fireball Jutsu!"

I felt the heat bubbling up my throat then spat out a large fireball. I kept this up for about five seconds, then canceled the technique. Steam rose from the water's surface and evaporated into the air. I brought my hands up again, recalling the way my chakra moved with each hand sign's instruction. If I could just make my chakra move internally by memory, then I could perform jutsu without hand signs. A skill like that is extremely useful, and I've got five years until I graduate. I sighed, hanging my head when I thought about the fourth war and how strong these other players are. Frickin' Maddie-Jiji, Obi-Tobi, Aloe vera-Kun, Low-tier-Villain-hime…

Fuck. _Fireball Jutsu ain't gonna do shit._

Well, it's good practice I guess. Pushing away any thoughts of dying in extremely painful ways in the future, I tried to mimic the flow of chakra from the 'Snake' sign first, then do the rest of the hand signs and pray to Jashin it works. Feeling as ready as I'll ever be, I flew through the hand signs, shouting out the technique once more. "Fire Style; Fireball Jutsu"

What came out was a rather pitiful, small, and wobbly fireball. Cutting of the technique I sighed again.

"This is gonna take longer than I thought."

* * *

I lay exhausted in the grass beside the lake, staring up at the sky through half-lidded eyes. Squinting at the golden rays shining through the trees and hitting my face, I let out a huff and rolled over. The sun would set soon, meaning I'd been in my best interest to head back now and take a shower. I sighed, stretching lazily and begrudgingly heaving myself up into a standing position. '_Chakra exhaustion sucks ass.' _Yawning and retrieving the senbon stuck in the training dummies, I began the trek back home, longing for my _nice soft_ bed.

The Uchiha district was… kinda creepy with nobody there. A chill ran down my spine and I booked it for the door, shutting it closed and locking it once safely inside. "Frickin' ghost town, Frickin' Uchiha ghosts _that are gonna get my ass_," I mumbled on the way to the bathroom. I pulled my dark blue tunic over my head, glancing briefly at the Uchiwa emblem displayed proudly on the back. "Ha, the clans named after a fan." I mused, tugging down my gray shorts and undergarments. Pausing to look at myself in the mirror, I grabbed the brush resting on the sink and started brushing the knots and tangles out of my hair. I sighed in relief once my hair was mostly free of the rat's nest it was before, and turned on the shower, balling up my dirty clothes and throwing them in a corner in the room.

Once the water was hot enough, I stepped in and uncapped the shampoo, squeezing a generous amount onto my palm and scrubbing it through my hair. "Really need a haircut," I mumbled, then hissed when I got soap in my eye.

"_JASHIN DAMMIT. EVERY TIME!"_

* * *

"Five more minutes mom." I groaned, nuzzling into my blankets, trying to ignore the sunlight hitting my face. Sitting up, I blinked, then chuckled dejectedly. "Oh wait, my mothers' dead." I kicked off the covers and swung my legs over the side of the bed, planting my feet on the cold floor. I covered my mouth, trying to stifle a yawn and glanced over at my alarm clock's blinking numbers. It never really woke me up, but my internal clock has a pretty solid grasp on my schedule, so I never really bothered actually turning it on.

**8:16**

Groaning, I threw on some clothes and quickly went through my morning routine, almost forgetting my bag on the couch before I left.

I skipped down the empty street, bag bouncing against my shoulder as I made my way to the academy for the first time in two weeks. I smiled at passers and greeted Eiji-Jiji enthusiastically while getting my morning tomatoes. "You seem to be in a good mood today Sasuke-kun." the old man remarked, handing me a couple of my o' so desired fruits. I nodded, "Just woke up happy I guess." I shot a warm grin over my shoulder and waved my hand in farewell then jumped up to the rooftops. Snatching a hair tie out of my pocket, I tied back my hair in a low ponytail while I ran, making good time if I say so myself.

Finally, I arrived at the place where all my dear friends were right now. I threw open the door to the classroom, making Iruka let out an unmanly noise of surprise before he glared half-heartedly at me. "What's up bitches." The glare intensified, something I steadfastly ignored. That one redheaded girl- what's her name? Kana? Blushed and whispered in frantic tones to her deskmate about how 'badass' and 'cool' I was. Rolling my eyes I strolled up to my seat and set my bag down, turning to the rest of the rookie nine(except Naruto) with a smile. "Hey guys, it's been a short while- and before you ask, I'm actually feeling pretty good today. I pity the person who chooses to ruin it. You _really_ don't want to be that person-" I chatted away at my friends while taking my own seat, still ignoring a fuming Iruka at my blatant disrespect but couldn't actually do anything since I've just been through a traumatic experience. It's quite a strange a frustrating thing, wanting to offer someone a shoulder to cry on and at the same time beat them to death with a rusty metal baseball bat.

"I-it's good to see you again Sasuke-kun." Hinata offered, making my exaggerated smile soften a bit. "Thanks. It's good to see you all too." We all turned our heads at the sound of glass breaking and a startled cry.

"S-sorry Iruka-sensei, you see- WAAH PLEASE DONT KILL ME DATTEBAYO!"

* * *

_**Timeskips brought to you by NaruSasu hent- Fanfictions.**_

"Fuck you crusty old man," I said calmly while throwing senbon at the practice targets. "Fuckin' greedy old bastard. '_Just doing what I can for the good of the village' my ass_." I pulled out Kunai from my weapons pouch, hurling them at the head of the dummies. "Fuck you Obi-Tobi, go masturbate to a photo of Rin or something else that's actually productive. Fricking Uchiha-hating hypocrite." Next was Shruikan, which I threw and flew through the hand signs for a jutsu I learned from one of the Uchiha scrolls. Ox → Dog → Dragon → Rat → Dog → Boar → Snake → Tiger, "Ninja Art: Shuriken Shadow Clone Jutsu" I scowled when only two duplicates showed up then poofed away right when they hit the target.

I glared at the training dummy's stupid smiling face. "Fuck you Itachi-nii, at least my ass is cute."

* * *

"Wow, Sasuke-kun mastered the three jutsu we learned so fast!" A purple-haired girl cooed, latching onto her redhead friend. They squealed when I sent a look their way. I set my deadpan stare on my friend and honorary brother, Naruto. "Having trouble there?" He rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, "Yeah… but I made a new jutsu Dattebayo!" Raising a brow, I humored him, "What jutsu is that?" He gave me a foxy grin when Iruka called him up next to demonstrate the transformation technique. A shit-eating grin made it's way onto my face when I realized what he meant, trying to stifle the few chuckles that escaped me.

He clasped his hands together in concentration, gathering his chakra for the technique. "Sexy Jutsu!" A poof of smoke engulfed Naruto, only to reveal a naked female version of him, who sent a wink at a gobsmacked Iruka. "Did I pass Iruka-sensei?" He/She? Purred, batting her eyelashes and sending a smoldering look the poor guy's way. He was actually sent flying back into the blackboard from the force of the nosebleed, and I couldn't hold in my manic cackles anymore. I sputtered and coughed and laughed and _tried to breathe_.

Naruto changed back and joined me with his own howls of laughter.

* * *

The rookie 9 all stared at me, Naruto gapping at me in a mix of astonishment and horror. Surprisingly, Hinata was the first to speak. "S-sasuke… you cut y-your hair?" I smirked, nodding, and running my hands through my now shoulder-length spikey hair. Some hair in the back spiked upward, an everpresent reminder of the fabled duck-butt that plagues young Sasuke. Well, more so Genin Sasuke. It actually didn't look too bad in Shippuden.

"But w-why dattebayo?" I shot him an unimpressed look, "We still have three more years till we're genin, that's plenty of time to grow it out again. Plus the three-year time skip to the Shippuden era. The group accepted this hesitantly, sending me suspicious looks every now and then, wondering if I was the real Sasuke or some imposter.

That thought made me chuckle. '_Ironic that it's both.'_

* * *

I sat in the classroom bored out of my mind, drifting in and out of dreamland. Graduation was only a year away, and Naruto _still_ couldn't make a solid clone despite me putting in the effort of tutoring him. His chakra control was absolute garbage, though he could hold the sexy jutsu for a while. I just hoped and prayed that he ends up learning shadow clone jutsu without me interfering. Because if not, then I'll steal the scroll myself and force it into his hyperactive brain. Oh, and maybe snag the hand seals for Edo Tensei for me at the same time. Speaking of that… Alright, a new goal. Pretend to be oblivious and learn the jutsu when Naruto steals it and hides in the forest.

I looked up blurrily at the blackboard. '_Mizuki, I'm actually hoping you're still that same unlikeable dick in this world too. For your own sake..'_

* * *

_**Omake; A tidbit of Itachi's POV during Sasuke's recovery:**_

Itachi sighed heavily, trying to take his mind off of all the lives he's had to take recently, some of them with his new partner Juzo. He leaned against a tree, staring into the embers of the crackling fire. His thoughts drifted to his Otouto, allowing a small smirk when he thought about how he was torturing his friends now. The smirk diminished when he thought back to the last time they saw each other, sending a jab of pain through Itachi's heart. He let out a sigh, remembering what Shisui had said.

_Itachi looked up sharply, Shisui offering him a small smile. "Itachi, even if it comes down to it, Sasuke would never hate you. I believe that wholeheartedly."_

'Even if Sasuke did despise me after all that has transpired, it wouldn't mean I'd love him any less.'

* * *

"_It is sad not to love, but it is much sadder not to be able to love." - Miguel de Unamuno_

* * *

_"People Live their Lives bound by what they accept as correct and true. That is how they define "Reality". ... Their "Reality" may all be a mirage." - Itachi Uchiha_

* * *

**WOOO Cannon starts the next chapter! Genin fun time! **

**On a side note, if any of you want an Omake of a certain character reaction, random situation, or anything really, then feel free to message me. I'll probably put it in if you do~~~~~**

**Oh no. The locksss.**

**Don't worry, Sasuke's fab hair is going to make an appearance next chapter in its full glory.**


	10. Chapter 10

**Me: Work on this or I will skin you.**

**Also me: geez man, but what about Pinwheels or Ice breaker-**

**Me: Screw those two stories, they only have one chapter anyway. **_**This is your legacy.**_

**Also me: uhhhhhh…..**

**Warning; longer chapter than usual, some feels, and well, Sasuke.**

**Edited 1/19/20- Fixed some spelling errors.**

* * *

"Live your life so you'll have no regrets. No matter how hard, no matter how sad, if something is precious to you, protect it with both arms." -Masashi Kishimoto

* * *

I wrung out the cloth above a wooden bowl, then wiped and polished the gravestones. Once I had finished cleaning them, I swept any leaves and weeds away, dusting off the marble surface. I finished my weekly job by bringing the bowl back to the house and gathering the bouquet of flowers that Ino helped me pick out every weekend off the kitchen counter.

Walking back to the gravestones, I set down the fresh flowers; anemone, aster, blue iris. Taking a seat in a traditional seiza position in front of them, I bowed my head and smiled sadly at the names engraved on the marble. "Good morning Okaa-san, Otou-sama. I finally completely mastered the fireball jutsu- without hand signs as well. I plan on trying to make new techniques from it too, I hope you're proud."

"I haven't seen Nii-san for a few years, but I'm sure he's doing fine, I just worry too much I guess. Oka- _Kaa-chan,_ I'm going to take the test to graduate the academy tomorrow- Tou-sama, I'm confident I'll pass without a doubt as you've always said. Naruto-chan is still dead-last, even though I've taken time out of my day to help him personally." I rolled my eyes, a small, fond smile on my lips. "He and Shikamaru are my best friends, you remember him right? I lost count how many times I've kidnapped him or disturbed his precious sleep." I laughed softly, gently plucking one of the Iris from the bouquet, brushing my fingers against its petals. A breeze lifted my hair gracefully, free from its usual low ponytail today.

"Even though you're not here, even after what your mistakes and anger resulted in- _I still love you._ I love Itachi-nii. I… I really wish you were here with me, but I know you wouldn't like it if I pulled a Kabuto." I stood slowly, staring at the small flower in my hands. Chuckling, I slipped it into my hair, above my ear, smiling warmly at the cold gravestones. "I'll make you proud, you don't have to worry about me." I closed my eyes, sighing deeply, "I'll always treasure our time together, as a family. I don't regret any of it. _I love you_." Sending one last look over my shoulder, I turned and headed towards the academy, grabbing my bag by the compound gates on my way out.

It was a beautiful day, the sun was shining, birds were singing, and the people of Konoha were already up and about for the day. The walk to the academy was as per usual, except that after today I wouldn't be going there anymore as a mere student. I smiled at that and slipped by the gates and through the main entrance. Pushing open the door to the classroom, I popped a piece of gum into my mouth, raising my hand in greeting to Iruka. He sat at his desk and smiled, "You're not late today." I returned his optimism with my own, "Ye_p_." I replied, popping the 'p'. Sauntering over to my desk, I yawned and took my seat, letting my face fall onto my arms. I had just started dozing when the door to the classroom slammed open, making me snap my head up at the sudden _'bang'_. "Iruka-san, Naruto is painting the stone faces on the Hokage mountain!" the chunin panted, out of breath.

Iruka sighed and stood, following the frantic chunin, a scowl making its way onto his face. Once he left I started cackling, and Shikamaru sent me a look. "What'd you convince him to paint?" Grinning widely, I gazed out the window and spotted said boy jumping down from the mountain and booking it, two shinobi hot on his trail. "I only helped him get the paint and suggested a lovely addition to his artwork. He did everything else himself." Shikamaru followed my gaze, deadpanning at the place where Tobirama's face was. It was now painted to resemble me, my expression and smirk _very_ smug. Below that was written; 'I'm the sexiest in this village.' In various places around it were a few more messages, but the only other I could make out said, 'Bow to me peasants' which was a nice touch on Naruto's part.

It didn't take long for Iruka to catch and drag a pouting naruto into the classroom, making me chuckle at the ropes holding the jinchuriki hostage. Iruka placed his hands on his hips, meeting the boy's eyes impatiently. "I'm at the end of my rope, Naruto. You failed the graduation test last time and the time before that. Tomorrow you've got another chance and you're messing up again."

"Hmph!" Naruto turned his head to the side, and I almost missed the smug look he sent my way as if saying; 'can you do better?'. I returned his smirk with a grin that showed too many teeth. We'll see whos the 'true' artist soon enough. 'Don't get cocky.' I mouthed, winking. Iruka pointed dramatically at Naruto, gaining his attention again. "Fine! Because you missed it Naruto, everyone will review the transformation jutsu!" The class 'awed' and lined up in front of the classroom, some sending dirty looks the blonde's way. I begrudgingly stood behind Sakura, yawning again. "Way too early for this shit." Shikamaru placed a hand on my shoulder, "Now you know how I feel." He smirked at the half-hearted glare I sent his way, making me roll my eyes.

Sakura was up first, and smiled confidently, "Alright, Sakura here! Let's do it. Transform!" A cloud of smoke engulfed her and cleared to reveal a perfect copy of Iruka, the real one nodded in satisfaction. "Transformed into me. Good." With a poof she changed back, fist-pumping the air, "Yes I did it!" She turned to me with shining eyes, "Did you see that Sasuke? I've really gotten better at this ninja stuff." We fist-bumped and I cracked a smirk-grin, "Yep." Iruka then turned his attention on me, "Sasuke-kun, you're up next." My face still held the same expression as placed my hands on my hips and transformed. A cloud of smoke obscured my vision for a moment before it cleared like Sakura's. Except there was a major difference between our transformations.

I crossed my arms while my gaze turned smug, a perfect replica of a (prime) Madara stared back at Iruka. "Is this acceptable?" My voice was smooth and velvety, and Iruka shot me a look. Naruto snickered and I transformed back when Iruka replied, "Uh, good. Next Uzumaki Naruto." Naruto had his hands in his pockets and frowned when Ino let out an annoyed sigh and shot a glare at him. "We always pay for your screw-ups" Shikamaru sighed and mumbled, "This is a total drag." Naruto stepped up and stuck out his tongue at Ino, "Like I care." He shrunk back and apologized profusely when Sakura held up a fist. Hinata smiled softly and gave Naruto a thumbs up, "You c-can do it Naruto-kun."

Hinata had grown more confident over the years, but still stutters occasionally, especially when talking to Naruto; but she's more like her Shippuden self now. That's something I'm really happy about, and now I can rest easy knowing my Waifu is self-assured. Naruto clapped his hand together in a sign, concentrating. I activated my Sharingan and saw the chakra moving wildly around him before he called out, "Transform!"

The clouds of smoke cleared enough to reveal Naruko, who smirked seductively and sent a wink Iruka's way; then fidgeted with her hands nervously and bit her lip. "I-Iruka-sensei." Iruka flies back into the blackboard- like the first time Naruto used his most powerful jutsu on him. Blood poured from his nose and he lept up, livid, while Naruto dropped the henge and cackled madly. I joined his laughter, neither of us stopping when Iruka yelled, "Cut the stupid tricks! This is your last warning!"

* * *

We both scrubbed at the paint on the Hokage mountain, peeved that Iruka didn't let us off the hook. I didn't even paint it this time! Well, I technically assisted in some of it… _still_. I pouted at Iruka, thinking about attempting to put him in a new genjutsu I cooked up and book it- but I couldn't leave Naru-chan alone! "This sucks." my blonde companion complained, and Iruka shot an annoyed look down at him. "You're not going home until you've cleaned off every single drop of paint."

"So what. It's not like there's anyone waiting at home for me," he replied sullenly before I smacked him on the back of the head. "What am I, a roach?"

"You know what I mean."

"Then move in with me or something dobe. I've got plenty of space, and well, I'm never gonna open up the district to the public." Naruto's lips parted to say something but Iruka cut in, "Naruto?" he frowned, "What do ya want now sensei?"

"Well, I was just thinking. Maybe after you've cleaned this all up, I can take you out for some ramen. The good stuff. What do ya think?" I raised my hand, "Am I included in this deal?" Iruka nodded and I grinned, Naruto's mirroring mine. "Haa, now that's some serious motivation! I'll have this clean in no time dattebayo!" I nodded in agreement, then gave a sad look towards Tobirama's head. "Are you sure we have to clean that one too?"

"Yes."

* * *

I broke my chopsticks while Naruto dived into his bowl, slurping up his ramen hungrily. "Naruto?" Iruka asked from Naruto's other side, breaking his own chopsticks. "Hmm?" Naruto questioned through the mouthfuls of ramen, while I ate mine at a more leisurely pace, enjoying the spices and flavor. It really was the best ramen in existence, or at least the elemental nations. "Why would you do that to the Hokage faces? I mean, you know who the Hokage are don't you?"

_-slurp-_"Course I do."_-slurp-_"Everybody knows. They were the greatest shinobi of their time, right? The best of the ninja champs. And the fourth Hokage is the one who saved the village from the nine-tails fox. He was the most amazing."

"Then why did you-"

"Because I'm going to be greater than any of them. Me, Naruto, the next Hokage." He pointed his chopsticks at Iruka. "A ninja legend!('With Sasuke as my right-hand man of course.' I smirked smugly at that.) Then everyone will have to stop disrespecting me and look up to me! Dattebayo! Uh…by the way, I kinda wanna ask a little favor sensei."

"You want another bowl?"

Naruto scratched his head sheepishly, "Um um. Well…I wanna try on your headband. Come on, please."

"Uh…oh this?" He touched his headband, "No way. You can only wear the leaf headband when you've finally graduate from the academy and become a ninja. You've gotta pass the test tomorrow."

"That is so uncool!"

"Haha. Hey, is that why you took off your goggles?"

"Uuhhh…I want another bowl!" Iruka begins to laugh warmly while I cracked a smile, "Same here. Also, Iruka-sensei?"

"Yes, Sasuke?"

"Graduating doesn't mean I'll stop in my artistic endeavors." My grin turned evil, making Iruka gulp nervously.

* * *

This was it, graduating day, and the fir- well, the _second day_ of the canon storyline. Yesterday went pretty similar from what I remember, the only added variable being Naruto's not as overbearing and spiteful, and myself messing around of course. I went through my morning routine, paying a short trip to my parent's graves to tell them to wish me luck, then headed to the academy.

There was a lot of excited chatter, and everyone was antsy about graduating and becoming an official ninja. The ignorant and naive ones would be weeded out, while the ones who proved themselves would begin their career full of death, pain, and suffering. I felt goosebumps running down my arms and shivered in anticipation- _how exciting_. It's not all bad though; sometimes people gain power just to protect people and not slaughter hundreds for the kick of it. Iruka clapped his hands to gain everyone's attention, waiting for the room to finish shushing itself before he spoke. "We will now start the final exam. When your name is called proceed to the testing room. The final test will be on the clone jutsu."

One by one, students were called in; those who left either left with forehead protectors or disappointment. Eventually, my name was called, and I stood and strolled into the testing room, eyeing the table lined with headbands with the symbol for Konoha. Iruka tested me on basic history, math, etc. It was really just a review, with 'perform the clone jutsu' tacked on at the end. A part of me wondered if Mizuki arranged that so Naruto would have the most trouble… _Probably_. Who knows what goes on in the minds of Oro-chan's dumbass lackeys.

For the last test, I stood in front of Mizuki and Iruka, who gave a nod to continue. I clasped my hands together in a single hand sign, easily producing two copies on either side of me. I turned to the one on my left, who shrugged and finger gunned me, before I dispelled it, along with the one on my right. I passed- _duh_, and was handed a shiny new forehead protector. "Excellent as always Sasuke-san. Be sure to tell Ino-san to come in next." Mizuki smiled his fake smile_(it was so obvious. How has no one caught onto this guy yet?)_ and congratulated me. I took a moment to tie it around my forehead like the original Sasuke and smiled disarmingly at the traitor. "Why thank you. Have a _nice_ day Mizuki-sensei, I'll be sure to get her."

I can't wait to stomp this man when he reveals his true colors.

Making my way out the door, I smirked at my group of friends, flashing a peace sign. "Wow you're a real ninja now Sasuke, I never doubted you!" Sakura exclaimed. "Thanks, I'm sure you're gonna pass too," I said with an eye-smile. She blushed, then nodded rapidly, "Y-yeah."

"Oh, Ino, it's your turn, by the way." Ino grinned, "See you soon" and waved her fingers before disappearing into the testing room. Naruto fidgeted nervously in his seat, making me frown and take my own next to him. He grinned, though it seemed a bit forced. I put my hand on his shoulder, and smiled reassuringly at him, "I'm sure you'll pass. After all, we're gonna be ninjas together right?"

His fake grin faltered, then dropped into a small smile, "Thanks Sasuke." and like I flipped a switch, he was brimming with energy and beamed at me, "If I don't graduate, I can't become Hokage after all!" I nodded sagely, "Yep, because if you don't, then I'm going to be Hokage before you." I teased, making him glare at me half-heartedly. He turned his nose up, crossing his arms, "As if! I'll never let you beat me to the Hokage title dattebayo!"

I smirked, "Perhaps."

* * *

Naruto sat mournfully on the iconic swing, disappointment clear in his eyes. I looked around at all the happy families- parents congratulating their children, or telling them there's always next year. _'I really wish Itachi was here.'_ Resolving to smother my brother the next time I saw him, I made my way over to the depressed jinchuriki. My eyes narrowed at a couple of girls who were whispering about him, and clearly knew he could still hear them. I discreetly cast a genjutsu to make them feel insects crawling up their legs when we made eye contact briefly. Smirking when they started shrieking and swatting at nothingness, hoping to hit whatever they felt land on them, I Leaned against the tree and glanced sideways at Naruto; who looked up at me with those misty eyes of his.

"I'm going to head home... I'll meet at Ichiraku's later tonight… probably." when he didn't say anything, I frowned, "You're always amazing at defying logic, so I'm certain that you'll become a ninja… somehow. Maybe talk to Mizuki-sensei, cause' I overheard that he might have a way for you to pass- dunno if it's true. Anyways, see you later." he looked thoughtful at that, but I turned and shunshined away before he could reply. Hopping around on the rooftops, I made my way to a training ground near the forest he _might_ come to if he gets the scroll.

I hoped and prayed that Mizuki came to him with the proposition- cutting off that thought, I decided to practice throwing and maybe try my hand at mediating until the time came.

* * *

I was startled out of my meditation when an alarm rang through the village and I quickly left without a trace to hunt down my blonde friend. It didn't take long, and I dropped down into the clearing he was in, making him yelp in surprise. "Teme! Oh- uh, you were right dattebayo! Mizuki-sensei said all I had to do was learn a jutsu from this scroll. I'm still unsure of which though…" I walked over and sat next to him and nodded, unrolling the scroll further until I found my prize. "Why don't you try _'Shadow clone jutsu'_? I'll just look at the others just in case." He whined, throwing his hands in the air, "not another clone jutsu!"

I patted his shoulder, "Shadow clone jutsu requires a lot of chakra to perform- something of which you have plenty of. So, in theory, this should be way easier to learn than the normal clone jutsu for you." He adopted a thoughtful expression, before a determined look formed on his face, and nodded once. "I'm gonna master this in no time…" He mumbled, reading over his part of the scroll. I activated my Sharingan and scanned the scroll, my eyes landing on two techniques in particular.

'_Eight Trigrams Sealing Style', and 'Edo Tensei.'_

My Sharingan seared those techniques into my memory; the hand seals, application, etc… The Sharingan is useful as fuck. Reaching the end of the scroll, I paused and noted storage seals on the wooden handle. Curiosity got the better of me and I applied my chakra to unseal it; smoke and a popping sound indicating it worked. In my hand were two small vials of blood and a clump of hair that looked like it was added last minute. _DNA? But whos?_

One of the vials barely had any left, and the other was fairly full.

Shrugging, I slipped them into my pocket and stored them in my own storage scroll, rolling the scroll of seals back up so Naruto could have it to himself. Despite now knowing how to perform the reaper death seal(I skimmed over pretty much the whole scroll before I found the jutsu I came for), something about that jutsu… _terrifies me_. It makes my blood run cold and makes me feel the truest fear I've ever experienced in this life. Not that I would use that jutsu anyway, but this experience just takes it from _'Nah I wanna live fam'_, to _'I gotta burn all evidence of that sealing dawg.'_

"Alright!" Naruto exclaimed, breaking me out of my existential feeling of ghost terror? Second-hand terror? "Shadow clone Jutsu!" Naruto slapped his hands together in that iconic sign, and five copies of himself popped into existence. He grinned from ear to ear, letting out a whoop and dispelling the clones. "I did it dattebayo! I'm gonna pass for sure."

He was broken out of his excitement when an irate Iruka jumped down in front of us, hands on his hips, and face twitching in annoyance. "It's all over. Heh heh heh heh he- wait, why are you here Sasuke?" I shrugged, replying, "I was in the area when I felt Naruto's chakra, so I came over here to help him pass." Naruto scratched the back of his head sheepishly, laughing nervously. "Huh?" was Iruka's eloquent reply, and Naruto continued, "Caught me already? Not bad. You're quick sensei. I only had time to learn one technique." Naruto grinned, and spread his arms wide, "Listen Iruka-sensei! I'm gonna show you this amazing jutsu and your gonna let me graduate then everything will be okay! That's the way it works right? Anyone who learns a jutsu from this scroll passes."

"Huh?! Where'd you get that idea?!" Iruka fumed and tapped his foot, reminding me of a mother scolding her child from stealing from a forbidden cookie jar. "Mizuki-sensei did." I replied, and Naruto started flailing his arms around, "Yeah! He told me where to find the scroll and this place…" Naruto's look of glee slowly fell when he saw Iruka's gobsmacked expression. Before he could reply, Iruka turns around quickly and pushes Naruto away from multiple kunai flying towards him. A couple hit him in his arms and legs, making me jump back. '_Shit I almost forgot, Jashin am I oblivious.'_

"I see you found our little hideaway." Mizuki's smug, smarmy voice rung through the clearing. I shot an unimpressed look his way; he was trying to be cool while kneeling on a nearby branch. Mizuki caught sight of me and his eyes widened a fraction before he smirked and schooled his features. "Ah, _Sasuke-kun_, how unfortunate, now I'll have to get rid of you too." while Iruka began his dialogue and distracted Mizuki, I activated my Sharingan again and shunshined behind Mizuki, casting a minor genjutsu so he didn't realize anything was amiss.

I drew a kunai and went for his neck, barely able to create a shallow cut before the pain broke the genjutsu and he whipped around and kicked me, sending me flying back. Backflipping and landing on another branch, I shunshined back to Naruto and pulled him out of the way, holding up the kunai in a defensive position. Mizuki hissed in pain and grabbed at his neck with one of his hands, leveling a murderous glare my way. "Ah, the little Uchiha has claws." Naruto looked frantically between Iruka, Mizuki, and I, just realizing the gravity of this situation. "As a genin of the leaf, It's my duty to stop you; a traitor, and an annoying one at that." I sneered, shifting my feet into a more defensive stance.

Naruto's eyes widened, "M-Mizuki-sensei is a _traitor?_" I gave him a flat stare and gestured at the scene playing out before us. "I guess he is, I mean, I totally never saw that coming." I drawled, reflecting some shuriken the _former-sensei-turned-traitor-chan_ threw at me and raised a brow.

Mizuki became impatient, taking out his huge ass shuriken, "Naruto! Give me the scroll now!" Iruka was breathing hard and threw some more kunai in his ex-friend's way. "Naruto! Don't let Mizuki get the scroll! It contains forbidden jutsu that can put this village in grave danger! Mizuki used you to get the scroll for himself for his own power!" Naruto gasped, and I rolled my eyes when Mizuki delivered his next line, "Naruto! Iruka is just trying to scare you cause he doesn't want you to have the scroll."

"_Because he doesn't want a traitor like you to take it dumbass,_" I muttered under my breath, but I'm sure Naruto heard me. He looked at poor, wounded Iruka-sensei, "Stop lying Mizuki! Don't let him trick you Naruto!"

"Ha ha ha haha! Oh, I'll tell you who's really lying." Mizuki's smirk became twisted, and Iruka started to panic. "No Mizuki!"

"They've been lying to you your whole life Naruto. Since the decree twelve years ago." My eyes narrowed, wow, he really _is_ a prick. Though, to be fair, not telling naruto he was a jinchuriki was a fault on the Hokage's part, then again, saying the boy _is the fox_ is dumbassery at it's finest. The blonde scowled, "What decree?"

"Everyone knows except you. Iruka's trying to hide it from you even now. He'd do anything to shut me up!" I raised my free hand, "I don't know." I was dutifully ignored- _ouch_.

"What is this decree? Why does everyone else know about it?" Naruto looked lost, confused, and nervous. Trying to ease whatever thoughts are swirling around in his head, I took a step back to stand next to him and put a hand on his shoulder, rolling my eyes when he stiffened but didn't say anything. Iruka was sweating bullets and looked as frantic as a mother hen who's nest was invaded by a hungry fox- _oh wait, that analogy is kind of ironic-_

"The decree is no one can tell you the nine-tail fox is inside you!"

He gapped like a fish, his eyes growing wide. '_I should probably put a stop to this soon…'_

"The fox spirit that killed Iruka's parents and destroyed our village has taken over your body! You are the nine-tails fox!"

"STOOOP IT!" Iruka yelled.

"They've all been sneaking around hiding things from you your whole life. Didn't you think it was strange how-"

Rolling my eyes for the umpteenth time, I blew a sealess inferno towards Mizuki, startling him from his speech and making him yell in surprise. When the blaze died down, Mizuki was standing on the ground, covered in burn marks and bleeding heavily from his dominant arm. "Y-you little b-brat!" he hissed, grimacing in pain. "Wow, you know, for a chunin to be stomped so hard by a newly minted genin makes you pretty pathetic," I said in an apathetic monotone.

Turning to Naruto, I shook his shoulders, making his eyes snap up to meet mine. "Ok, so that was a pretty big revelation, and it was delivered by a douchebag, so, double ouch-" I shook his shoulders again for emphasis. "Just because we both now know that the Kyuubi is sealed inside of you, doesn't really change our friendship, does it? What if it was sealed inside of me? Would you suddenly hate me?" He shook his head, shock making him silent… strange. Thought he'd be more vocal, ah well. "And Iruka already knew, but he still cares about you. Think about all the times you've had ramen and joked, and shared your days with each other… how he looked out for you- _of course, I'm much better at that_ but still- you get the point."

He seemed to process this, and then flashed me a determined smile, "Yeah, you're right Sasuke! Thanks for reminding me of what really matters." Returning his grin with a fond smile, I replied, "Friends got to help each other out, eh? Just like how you did for me."

Iruka slumped against the tree, weakened from blood loss, and having to pull out all the kunai and shuriken out of his legs and arms. "Alright loser! I'll teach you to mess with me and my friends dattebayo!" Naruto clasped his hands together, "Multi shadow clone jutsu!" Suddenly the whole clearing was filled with Naruto's advancing on an already wounded Mizuki. "W-wha?"

It was a complete smackdown from there, and it only took a few punches to knock Mizuki out, though Naruto bodyslammed him a few times just to be sure. I wiped my brow, exchanging a grin with Naruto, then looked up in surprise when I noticed the sun was rising. Had we really been out here that long? Guess it was the flashbacks and dialogue/monologue.

Iruka stood and motioned Naruto over, giving him a soft smile. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you before Naruto. I just wanted you to have as normal a childhood you could- the Hokage wanted that too. We didn't want you to find out like this, in this situation. Forgive me, Naruto."

He laughed, crossing his arms, "It's ok Iruka-sensei! What Sasuke said was right; it shouldn't matter whether or not I have the big ole' dumb fox inside of me or not. We're still friends." Iruka gave him an eye-smile, then a look of realization dawned on his face. "Naruto, I have something to give you. Close your eyes."

Naruto complied, scrunching his eyes shut as I watched Iruka untie his headband and bestow it onto Naruto, taking a step back when he was done. "Alright, you can open your eyes now." his bright-blue eyes fluttered open, and he looked up at Iruka in surprise after he realized he gave him his headband. "You proved yourself a true shinobi of the leaf, you earned this Naruto." the jinchuriki teared up and threw himself at the man in a fierce hug. "I-Iruka-sensei." I looked on as Naruto cried his frustrations and relief out into Iruka's arms, a small smile present on my face.

I was oddly content.

* * *

"Even when I force myself to smile, it seems I'm the type of person who ends up being hated." -Sai

* * *

"There's only one thing that can heal the heart... Only one... It's love, Gaara." -Yashamaru

* * *

**We hit a milestone- well, not really. But ten chapters! YAy!**

**Tune in next time for more... chapters.**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'll be going back to previous chapters- mainly the first ones, and editing them, adding omakes, correcting errors, etc. **

**Warning; The copy-nin appears, Omake, Narcissist Sasuke is best Sasuke.**

* * *

_"If you don't share someone's pain, you can never understand them." – Nagato_

* * *

I double-checked my appearance in the bathroom mirror, nodding in satisfaction at my new ninja outfit. I wore a dark high-collared sleeveless top and light gray shinobi pants that ended at my sandals. I had wrapped bandages up to my forearm and wore arm and handguards along with guards in the front of my shinobi sandals reminiscent of the ANBU style. On top of the pants, I wore a skirt-like durable apron that stopped above my knees that had a slit down the side of it for maneuverability. (Author's note; reference WIP) The finishing touches were the Uchiwa proudly displayed on the back of my shirt and on the front of the apron. Some may argue that the apron was stupid, but had paid money for storage seals to line the entire inside surface, making me appear to have an endless amount of senbon that I drew out of nowhere.

Oh-ho-ho- _have I got a nice stock of senbon_. I bought out quite a few weapon stores with my newly acquired headband to accumulate such a large stash of the needles. Putting thoughts of making my enemies into human porcupines aside- I finished checking myself out and grabbed this new satchel I bought- It was shinobi grade and a very nice soft brown color. It held my sketchbooks and other art stuff, some scrolls, and books I checked out(Or stole) from the library and the clan archives. It was small enough to be inconspicuous and _new_. I finished the look by tying my hair into a low ponytail, and I do say it resembles Itachis quite a bit.

My hair had become… less of a rat's nest over time- which I'm thankful for; because I couldn't smooth it down to save my life. Anywho, I slung the satchel over my shoulder and grabbed my headband, tying it around my forehead. Giving one last glance at my reflection, I hurried out the door and onto the rooftops. My ponytail whipped behind me as I made my way to the academy for team assignments, pulling out a tomato from my pocket and stuffing it in my mouth as I shinobi roof jumped.

I stopped outside of the academy and look inside of a window, smirking when I saw everyone already in class. I opened the window silently, making my presence known when I dropped down onto the desk of a random classmate, making him yelp in surprise. I raised my hand, "Yo, did I miss anything?" Iruka sighed heavily, "I was just assigning the teams. Get in your seat Sasuke." Grinning at his defeated and tired demeanor, I walking across the desks, stepping over other genin and finally made it to my row, sitting down next to Naruto. He was snickering to himself, while Sakura on his other side facepalmed. I still had no idea what made me so likable to girls- but Sakura is still head-over-heels in preteen love for me.

Shivering at that thought, I laced my fingers together like cannon Sasuke and stared out the window, contemplating the meaning of life. _What does it mean to exist-_ "-em 7." I blinked once, breaking myself out of my reverie and turned my gaze to the front of the classroom. "Uchiha Sasuke, Haruno Sakura-" Sakura cheered fist-pumping the air and shouting, "Take that Ino-pig!"

"And Uzumaki Naruto." She deflated, sending a look the jinchuriki's way, but he didn't seem to noticed over his own excitement. "YES! I got Sakura and Sasuke on my team dattebayo!" he sobered up and leveled a dead-serious stare my way, making me raise a brow. "Hn?" he didn't blink, and jumped up on the desk, eerily similar to the cannon- _oh wait_. He locked eyes with me, getting all up into my personal space. "That means that our rivalry is going to-" he scrunched his nose in concentration. "Get stronger? Whatever, you know what I mean." Smirking, I replied, "Tch, of course. Not like it'll take much to one-up you anyway." It was at this moment, that the person behind him accidentally bumped him, making him fall into me. This resulted in him only kissing my cheek- _which was thanks to my reaction time_\- but the deed was already done, and his fate was sealed. He jumped back gagging and coughing, while I frantically wiped my cheek, hoping to get the saliva and ramen smell out. I coughed out in between my laughter and disgust, "Wow, didn't know you were already _falling for me_ Naruto-chan."

Naruto blanched at that, eyes widening in terror as the killing intent of all my fangirls(especially Sakura) pressed down on him threateningly. I calmed down and blatantly ignored the sounds of him getting pummeled by angry preteen girls, and instead turned to Shikamaru. "So, how are you this fine evening?" His half-lidded eyes blinked slowly, then he yawned, "It's morning- ah, whatever. You're too troublesome for me to try-" -he yawned again- "to correct. You could've moved out of the way, why didn't you?" I thought about this and shrugged, a smug smirk on my lips. "I'd be too much of a drag."

* * *

After all the teams were assigned, we had a lunch break and then after that, we'd be picked up by our Jōnin sensei. Of course for lunch, Narut- "Let's go to Ichiraku's dattebayo!"

Sakura and I shrugged, "Sure Naru-chan, sounds like a plan." The pinkette nodded along, "Yeah, what Sasuke-kun said…"

So that's how we ended up at the famous ramen stand covered in noodles with a constipated Naruto and a murderous Sakura.

* * *

It honestly started out like any other time we've been there, but it seems now that we're on team 7 the curse applies to us now. 'Everything will become more complicated for weird, cosmic reasons.' C-rank mission? Hah, now it's an S rank. Trying to happily do some simple D-ranks? Someone will mess up something, somehow. Trying to get some ramen with your new team?

…

I sat down in the middle stool, with Naruto on my right and Sakura on my left. Waving at the cheery Teuchi and his daughter(that I still don't know the name of. Was it Ayame?), I ordered some miso ramen- same as Naruto. Sakura looked pensively at the menu, presumably having some kind of internal struggle until her stomach growled, loudly. She flushed, looking between Naruto and me in embarrassment. "S-sorry! I really have no idea-" -growl- "- why… uh… I'll have the same as them." Thus ended her 'perfect' diet streak- or something, I'm not really sure. We scarfed down the bowls of ramen, with Sakura barely starting on hers while Naruto was already on his third bowl. Let me fill in another little detail; we were very close to one another, our elbows were touching. Naruto was on his fourth bowl when he suddenly froze, a pained expression on his face.

I held my bowl up to my lips to finish the broth, pausing, and sending a concerned look his way. "Uh, Naruto? Are you-" he groaned, jumping up- and jostling me which resulted in me also jostling Sakura. I don't know why my gut reaction was to throw the bowl up, instead of dropping it, but I swear it wasn't my fault. The broth and leftover noodles drenched my lovely hair, while Sakura yelped and tried to avoid the broth that hit her in the face. Eyes wide, I reached up a hand to pulled one of the noodles out of my hair, blinking at it slowly. Sakura fumed, turning her glare on Naruto- who shrank back and was still clutching his stomach.

"Naruto" she growled, and stood from her stool, picking up her own bowl and chucked it at the boy in anger. It shattered against his face and noodles went _everywhere_. I tried in vain to wipe the ramen off my face while Naruto whimpered and tried to run to the bathroom- only to be stopped again by Sakura who kicked him in the leg, making him lose his footing on the slippery floor and fall onto his face. "You Idiot!" Sakura growled, then muttered more angry threats under her breath that I dare not repeat. Naruto tried to stand, but slipped again and landed on his ass. Realizing what she just did, Sakura brought her hands up to her mouth in shook and looked rapidly from me to Naruto.

It was quite the scene for passersby. A noodle covered Uchiha sitting shellshocked, A panicking jinchuriki who looked like he was about to shit himself, and a pink-haired girl who was apologizing profusely and looked to be on the verge of tears- all in all, that was the sight the copy-nin happened upon on his way to the memorial stone.

* * *

"Come on Sakura, it was _that_ bad." I called out into the bathroom, pretending I didn't hear the ugly sniffling and mutterings of; 'I'm so stupid. Such an embarrassment. Why am I like this-'

"Yes, it is Sasuke! I threw my bowl at Naruto. I'm never going to be able to show my face at Ichiraku's- much less in public ever again!"

"I-it's ok Sakura, we've done worse." came Naruto's voice from the other bathroom. I stood in between the two entrances, still covered in ramen. She blew her nose, coughing out a hiccup, "You a-and Sasuke's pranks are different Naruto!" was her reply. Sighing, I looked up at the sun to check the time. We still had a few minutes until we had to be back at the academy- though we technically had plenty of time since Kakashi is always late. "Listen, we need to be back soon. Let's just clean up, and pretend that nothing happened. Is that ok with you, Sakura?"

She came out of the bathroom, as clean as she could be from dosing herself in water. "I guess," she replied, fidgeting with the hem of her dress. "Do you think we have time to go home and change?" I contemplated this, before shrugging. "I guess. But I just don't want to go through the trouble. We'll meet our Jōnin sensei, do introductions, then go home. That's our best bet. Changing now wouldn't make much of a difference- '_plus I'm lazy'_" we both heard Naruto frantically trying to flush a toilet, groaning in annoyance. He emerged from the bathroom, sighing in relief. "Ok. I think I'm good dattebayo."

"Good. Though I'm thinking about just jumping into the Naka river instead of trying my chances in… there…" I went silent, the rest of my team silent in agreement. Coughing to break the awkwardness, I continued, "We should head back to the classroom now."

They both nodded, lips set in grim lines. With my hands on my hips, I sighed, then met their solemn gazes. Nodding once, we all dispersed, taking to the rooftops and racing to the academy.

* * *

The other genin eyed our team curiously- though I suppose we did make quite the sight. I still had noodles in my hair that I'd pick out and eat- earning quite a few disgusted looks, and Naruto and Sakura look like they'd tried to drown each other in a river. We moved as a group and sat in the front two rows; Sakura and Naruto in the front with me behind them. We chatted for a bit and watched as Jōnin came to pick up their rowdy teams.

Pretty soon we were the only ones left, Iruka sending us a small smile before heading out the door. "I'm sure you won't be waiting much longer." was his goodbye, though I could almost sense the sadistic smile form on his lips.

Soon it became too much for Naruto to bear, and he jumped up from his seat, snatching the chalkboard eraser left on Iruka's desk and snickering evilly to himself. "What are you doing Naruto?" came Sakura's tired question, frowning when he cackled and propped the eraser up using the door. "This will teach him to be late dattebayo." Yawning, I glanced up from my journal where I had basically written and sketched out all the information on the people of this world(even filler characters) that I knew of; including future exploits. It was all written in English, and was specially made so it was fire and waterproof- and scrambled the pages around randomly without any pattern.

It was pretty thick since I had to write out detailed backstories and descriptions of abilities, and so on. I had started on it a few years ago, though I rarely worked on it since I trained my ass off all the time.

Smirking lightly, I closed the book and stored it in a scroll, shoving it back into my satchel. "I'm sure that'll work on a seasoned Jōnin." was my reply, though delivered with heavy sarcasm, was my wholehearted opinion. The cosmic forces were working their magic; because at that moment, Kakashi walked through the door, pausing when the eraser hit his head with a 'poof' and clattered to the floor. Naruto cackled, "He fell for it!" while Sakura apologized on his behalf. "I'm so sorry Sensei- he's an idiot." though from the mischievous gleam in her eyes she found the whole situation amusing aswell. "At least the chalk matches your hair, old man." I smiled innocently with my eyes closed and could fell his burning one-eyed gaze scrutinizing me briefly.

"My first impression of you… Is that I hate you. Meet me up on the roof in five minutes." With that, he shunshined away-_show off_. Sakura wilted, repeating, "He hates us."

Naruto quickly scrambled out the door, Sakura following at a more leisurely pace. Shrugging, I opened the window and wall-walked up to the roof, getting there first and taking a seat on the stairs. "Hmm. You know mastered the tree-walking exercise already?" was the scarecrow's comment. "Hn," I responded in the standard language of the Uchiha, crossing my arms and waiting for Pinkie and Naru-chan.

Naruto burst through the doors, Sakura right behind him. He pouted at my smirk, "How'd you get here already teme?" Sakura flipped her hair, taking a seat on my left, "Because Sasuke is cool like that." Naruto rolled his eyes, "Right." and sat on my right. Kakashi was silent for a moment, before giving us an eye-smile. "Why don't you introduce yourselves, one at a time." Sakura raised her hand, "Introduce ourselves? What are we supposed to say?"

Kakashi spread his arms in a shrug, "Things you like, things you hate, dreams for the future. Hobbies, things like that." He crossed his arms. Naruto piped up, "Why don't you tell us stuff first? I mean, before we talk tell us about you so we can see how it's supposed to work."

Kakashi pointed to himself, "Me? I'm Hatake Kakashi. Things I like and things I hate… I don't feel like telling you that. My dreams for the future; never really thought about it. As for my hobbies, I have lots of hobbies."

Sakura turned to us with a deadpan stare, "That was totally useless. He didn't tell us anything but his name."

"Ok, your turn. You on the right, you first." Kakashi drawled, and Naruto perked up with a grin. "I'm Uzumaki Naruto, and I like instant ramen in a cup, and I really like the ramen Iruka-sensei got me at Ichiraku's noodle shop." He paused and sent me a look, sheepishly scratching the back of his head. "But I hate the three minutes you have to wait when you pour the water in the ramen cup. My hobbies are eating different kinds of ramen and comparing them, and my future dream is- to be the greatest Hokage! Then the whole village will stop disrespecting me and treat me like I'm somebody; somebody important!"

Kakashi made a sound of contemplation then leveled his eye at Sakura. "Next."

She rested her hands in her lap, smiling at Kakashi in an innocent way. "I'm Haruno Sakura. What I like- uh- I mean the person I like is-" she sent me a flustered look. "Uh, my hobby is- uh- Training." she giggled, "My dream for the future is-" she sent me another look and flushed a bright red, burying her face into her hands in embarrassment. Kakashi looked at her unimpressed and spoke, "And, what do you hate?"

Sakura frowned, then glared at our resident Jinchuriki, thinking back to the ramen fiasco earlier. "NARUTO!" she said with so much passion that even had me surprised; though I think she was just being dramatic. Scare-crow sighed, then finally landed his eye on me. "Last one."

Here was my time to shine _hehe hehe_. I cleared my throat, a small smirk present on my face while I spoke. "My Name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like art, tomatoes, and those I care for. As for things I hate? A few people and things. I could get all philosophical but it's way too early for that. Hobbies include my art, reading, and training. As for my dreams-" I pause for dramatic effect. "What I have isn't just a dream, it's something I will make a reality. That goal is world peace. Killing a certain someone-" -_Zetsu can suck my dick_\- "and protect those who are precious to me."

If Kakashi was surprised, he didn't show it. "Hmm, you all seem to be unique individuals. We'll have our first mission tomorrow." Naruto bounced with excitement, asking, "What kind of mission are we gonna have?" I nodded in agreement, holding back a knowing smirk from finding it's way onto my lips. "It's a task that the four of us will do together." was the Jōnin's response. The blonde pouted, "What is it? Come on, tell us dattebayo!"

"It's a survival exercise."

"Huh? Survival exercise?" Naruto scratched his head, and Sakura piped up. "I thought we were supposed to have a real mission, not more practice! We already did this stuff at the academy, that's how we got here."

"This is not like your previous training," Kakashi said cheerily, setting us all on edge.

"So, uh, what kind of training is it then?" Naruto asked, sweating nervously when Kakashi began laughing sadistically to himself- _I think I'm beginning to like this man._

"Hey, that's a normal question, what's so funny?" Sakura asked, nervously fiddling with the hem of her dress. His snickers quieted enough for him to answer, "Well, if I tell you the answer, you're not gonna like it." Naruto puffed up his chest and jumped to his feet. "We can handle anything you throw at us! Tell us what the test is, old man!" Kakashi's eye narrowed before he gave us a serene eye-smile and responded, "Out of the 27 graduates that passed the academy graduation exam, only 9 will actually become Genin. The other 18 will be weeded out and sent back to the academy. In other words…" He paused for dramatic effect, before his voice took on a sadistically happy-go-lucky tone. "There is a 66% chance you'll fail."

Sakura and Naruto gapped before I raised my hand. "So, basically, You have the last say in whether or not we actually become a ninja?" He eye-smiled, "Yes, you are correct Sasuke."

Clapping his hands once he ended with, "Meet me at training ground 3 at 6:00 tomorrow morning. Oh, and don't eat breakfast, or you'll puke." With that, he shunshined off, leaving a swirl of leaves in his absence. We all shared a look, before Naruto spoke, "I don't know about you guys, but I'm gonna eat breakfast."

Nodding I crossed my arms, "Same here."

Sakura looked between us with a frown, "But Kakashi-sensei said not to." Naruto and I exchanged a look, before I sighed, "He was late today, what makes you think he won't be late tomorrow?" She bit her lip, and I placed a hand on her shoulder. "You don't have to eat breakfast, just… eat a big dinner, kay?" blushing from the contact, she nodded mutely, before choking out, "O-ok Sasuke."

* * *

The sun was just peeking through the leaves when we made it to the designated training grounds, all of us bright and cheery and ready for the day. Well, I was- Naruto and Sakura looked like they threw themselves out of bed and used every ounce of willpower they possessed just to walk all the way here. The jinchuriki groaned, slumping against the ground and curling up into himself. Sakura yawned and took a seat cross-legged next to him. I rested my hands on my hips, grinning widely at them when they blinked and groggily turned their attention on me. "Don't you think we should get some training done in the meantime?" I proposed, taking a tomato out of my bag and shoving it into my mouth.

Naruto clutched his head, "Not so loud teme." the pinkette on our team nodded, "Yeah Sasuke, don't you think it's too early for training?" Shaking my head, I responded, "Just cause I'm late-" _-crunch-_ "- most of the time doesn't mean I sleep in. I have a dream, an ambition, just like you Naruto. You gonna let a little fatigue stop you from being Hokage?" He scrunched his face, then slowly sat up, "No" he grumbled, "I just didn't get much sleep last night cause' I was so excited about today dattebayo."

"Come on, let's spar with shadow clones. Sakura, care to join us?" she blinked then joined us, standing tiredly. "You can make shadow clones Naruto?" she asked curiously, and Naruto nodded proudly. "Yeah, I learned it when I beat up a traitor from the village." he sniffed, puffing out his chest proudly. "He didn't stand a chance against a great ninja like me, dattebayo."

"It's true." I cut in when Sakura looked skeptical. Her eyes widened and a look of slight awe bloomed on her face. "Wow… that's really cool Naruto!" he blushed, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "It was nothing-" I slung an arm around his shoulder, "Yeah, I did most of the work anyway." he scowled, trying to throw my arm off of him. Just to annoy the blonde, I avoided all his attempts while still resting my arm comfortably on the boy. Eventually, he snapped and tackled me, trying to strangle the life out of me. "TEME!" Headbutting and kicking him off, I rolled over and jumped up. "That didn't work when we were eight, what makes you think I'd work now?" I said in the smuggest tone I could muster. Narrowing my eyes when he suddenly grinned evilly and taking a step back. He clasped his hands together in that iconic design that I know so well- "Shadow clone jutsu! Didn't you want to spar?"

I schooled my look of surprise, a smirk slipping back onto my face. "Hmm, I believe I did… dobe."

We both charged at each other, ignoring Sakura's annoyed shout for us to stop acting so immature.

* * *

**Omake;** _**If Sasuke joined the Akatsuki(Part 1)**_

I blinked slowly, staring into the rinnegan eyes that bored into my _very soul_. I stood in a spacious meeting room, in front of a table lined with all the members of the Akatsuki. Coughing, I smirked, "So. Nice to meet you all- except Itachi- we already know each other, duh. Who's gonna be my partner Mr. Leader-man." Pain narrowed his eyes at his self assigned nickname, before lacing his fingers together and leaning forward. "Since we never took Orochimaru-san's ring, we have reluctantly decided to accept him back into this organization for that purpose." I made a face at that, while Itachi's posture became tenser, Sharingan boring into Pain's head in silent objection. "Uh, would that be wise?" I raised my hand in question, a few other members agreeing with me.

"That snake can't be trusted." Sasori's gruff voice sounded from inside Hiroko, Kisame nodding along to that. "Yeah, he already went after Itachi-san once. What's to stop him from going after his brother?" the shark man offered.

"To have such uncertainties might disrupt our purpose and missions." Itachi finally voiced, his tone apathetic, but I could tell he was silently panicking. Pain sighed, thinking over his options, before leveling his stare on me again. "Do you have any… suggestions for partners, Sasuke-san?"

Contemplating this for a moment, I rubbed my chin in thought. "Hmm… I have one, and he would go along with it because he knows if he tries to deny it I'd force him." Leader-chan nodded, "Very well. Is this person from Konoha?" An evil grin slowly formed on my lips, making Deidara and _Obito-pretending-to-be-innocent-Tobi _shudder. _(Though I'd like to think he was wary of me.) _

"Yes."

* * *

Shikamaru's eyes slowly peeled open, blinking groggily at the sudden light. Wait… he didn't remember going to sleep- not that would be cause for concern, but the surface he was on felt like damp concrete. His eyes snapped open, gawking at the sight before him. There was a table of very dangerous-looking S-rank criminals staring at him with varying expressions. "Finally awake Shika-kun?" a familiar voice chirped, making him snap his eyes up to meet the onyx stare of Sasuke. Immediately, his expression fell into a deadpanned stare and stood up slowly. Looking between the table of criminals, and then Sasuke, he sighed. "Why does this not surprise me? What a drag." He drawled, making Sasuke chuckle evilly. He just noticed that his elder brother was present aswell- Itachi.

Looking in his direction, he noticed with annoyance that the Uchiha was smirking faintly, amused at his misery. "Oki-Doki. This is the guy I meant" Sasuke gestured to him, grinning widely. "Shikamaru is my best friend and the perfect partner. Don't worry about him trying to run away, he knows that I'll find him no matter where he tries to hide." The youngest Uchiha said with too much enthusiasm. The orange-haired man nodded once, "This is acceptable."

Never before did Shikamaru feel regret from befriending Sasuke so strongly.

* * *

_In this world, wherever there is light – there are also shadows. As long as the concept of winners exists, there must also be losers. The selfish desire of wanting to maintain peace causes wars, and hatred is born to protect love." – Madara Uchiha_

* * *

_"It is only through the eyes of others that our lives have any meaning." – Haku_

* * *

**And ~scene~**


	12. Chapter 12

**Sorry that it's been a while, this chapter just didn't want to be written. On a positive note, this is the longest chapter yet, with around 6k words(well, technically like 8k due to the omake...). I've also decided to post my responses for reviews in the chapters themselves to try and establish a kind of connection between the writer and readers(this also might provide longer responses from myself as well.). With all that said, enjoy this chapter!**

**RavenclawGryffindor35; I'm glad I was able to make you laugh! This story is just the culmination of most of my random ideas and thoughts that I have in class and write down. After I finish this story I might go back and rewrite it later, but that's not really a certainty.**

**NazgulBelserion; Sasuke will be wearing the cannon Shippuden outfit for a while- because it was Orochimaru who picked out his clothes in the first place ;). Plus I don't think he will mind showing a little skin- _that narcissist_.**

**InCK; Glad that you do :D**

**Ambrose; Yep, that was my intent. Angst is great and all, but dwelling on all that really isn't that fun- plus Sasuke has issues with staying serious. He either can't help but indulge in some dark humor or try to shove down some genuine murderous urges and take them out in training.**

**Enjoy~~~**

* * *

_"I'd be lying if I said things are going according to my plan… but beggars can't be choosers, right?" – Madara Uchiha_

* * *

Kakashi POV

The silver-haired Jōnin observed the undecided genins with interest, noting the way Sasuke was leading the training along subtly, but let Naruto be in charge. Ah, the last Uchiha, Sasuke. He was what the seasoned ex-Anbu captain last expected to turn out the way he did. The boy was a strange one- the Uchiha's introduction rung through Kakashi's head again.

"_My Name is Uchiha Sasuke. I like art, tomatoes, and those I care for- As for my dreams… What I have isn't just a dream, it's something I will make a reality. That goal is world peace. Killing a certain someone, and protect those who are precious to me."_

"_Just 'cause I'm late-" Sasuke took another bite of his tomato. "- most of the time doesn't mean I sleep in. I have a dream, an ambition, just like you Naruto. You gonna let a little fatigue stop you from being Hokage?"_

He could remember the look of glee and admiration on his face even when Kakashi tried to scare the little genins; like he found it amusing or thought Kakashi's idea of torture to be fun. '_World peace huh?' _He didn't see that coming- he could understand killing somebody(Itachi), or protecting his friends, but he didn't realize Sasuke was that ambitious. Kakashi was brought away from his musings when he checked the time, deeming it to be late enough and shunshined into the clearing. Holding up a hand in a wave, he gave them an eye-smile, "Good morning cute little genins." Minato's son and Pinkie both pointed and shouted dramatically in sync, "YOU'RE LATE(DATTEBAYO!)" Sasuke just smiled, "Hn." was his input. Kakashi rubbed the back of his head sheepishly, his relaxed posture making them scowl and wait for an excuse.

"Sorry, but a black cat crossed my path so I had to take the long way." Naruto stomped his feet and turned his nose up, "Like we believe that…" he grumbled, making Sasuke giggle- _giggle_. It was kind of creepy, so he ignored that and continued on with his plans for today. "Ok." he clapped his hands together, gaining their attention. "You'll be doing the survival exercise today- it's actually _very_ simple." Kakashi produced two bells from his pocket, the metal glinting and jiggling softly in the sunlight. "Your test is to get these two bells from me to pass. That's all." at his words, Naruto grinned, posture full of confidence while he laughed out, "That's all we have to do? That's easy peasy!" Sakura scowled slugged him in the arm, "He isn't finished Naruto." she growled, making Naruto shrink back in fear.

Turning back towards the Jōnin, she scrunched her nose and asked, "But there are only two bells Kakashi-sensei, so does that mean…" her eyes lit up in understanding, "Only two of us can pass?" offering them another eye-smile, he replied in a chipper voice, "Yep! The one who doesn't get the bell gets tied to a post while I eat my lunch in front of them, then they get sent back to the academy, of course, all of you could flunk too. You have until noon to get the bells." he pulled an alarm clock out of nowhere and set it on one of the training posts. Sasuke was oddly quiet and looked deep in thought before Naruto's shout of protest snapped him out of it, eyes landing on his friend. "That's not fair dattebayo, all of us worked so hard to get here…" he trailed off, seemingly already concluding that it would be him sent back- Sakura and Sasuke were both graduated top of their class, with the blonde barely passing and only because of special circumstances.

The Uchiha placed a hand on his shoulder, smiling reassuringly at him, "It's ok Naruto. if we get the bells… I'll go back." The response was instantaneous, Sakura and Naruto both getting close to Sasuke and exclaiming their opposition. "But Sasuke… you've worked so hard for this- we all have- but you the most…" Sakura trailed off, lost in a memory. "You just can't give up now teme! What about your dream?!" Sasuke gave him a hard look, serious for once and surprising his teammates. "What about _your _dream? You're not an idiot Naruto, you just can't do well with the way they teach at the academy." he then turned to Sakura, "Your brain and potential would be wasted at the academy, you really can become an admirable kunoichi."

"Don't worry about me." he smiled fondly, "I can deal with another year- I can always train on my own. I'll catch up." Naruto looked down, fists clenched, before he snapped his head up and stared at Kakashi with a hard determined glint in his eyes. "Then I'll go with you." Sasuke looked surprised for a moment, but schooled his features, eyes sharp. "Naruto…" the jinchuriki took Sasuke by the shoulders, looking him in the eyes dead on- which is a bold move to do on an Uchiha- and by the widening of the boy's eyes, Sasuke seemed to realize this too. "We're in this together, as friends, as a team. You hear that Bakakashi-sensei-" Sasuke snorted, "-It doesn't matter if you fail or pass us, we'll do it together dattebayo!" Sakura nodded resolutely, expression serious.

"Guys… I…" Sasuke's face softened, "As a team, huh?"

"Even if we remain academy students forever, I'll still become Hokage." was the blonde's firm response, and the Uchiha's eyes flashed with some hidden emotion. "So you all are conceding to failure together?" Kakashi prodded, eye narrowing in false anger. "We're a family now- no, we were before. I understand that now." Sakura responded quietly, the other two nodding mutely. "So yes, Kakashi-san, we all give up together, as one."

All was silent except for the faint breeze that blew through the clearing, before Kakashi's posture relaxed, and gave them a smile. "You pass."

They all jumped in surprise, exclaiming, "WHAT?!" a range of emotions flashed through their eyes; Shock, relief, happiness, then confusion. "B-but how? We didn't even try to get the bells…" Sakura trailed off, Naruto nodded along with Sasuke. "Hmm, let me explain." Kakashi began, "This test had an underlying meaning- the two bells were meant to break you apart, and see if anyone would put themselves above their teammates with their selfishness. You are the only team to have realized the true meaning of this test- right Sasuke?" The boy's knowing eyes crinkled, "Hn." he grunted in agreement, while Naruto squinted at Kakashi. "So this whole test was a trick?"

The silver-haired man hummed, then took on a serious look. "Don't take everything at face value- a shinobi must be able to see underneath the underneath. Your decision to go down as a team, and put your teammates above your own needs, is what truly makes you a ninja of the hidden leaf."

"Remember this; those who break the rules are scum, but those who don't take care of their friends are worse than scum."

Their faces displayed a kind of awe and respect that they hadn't shown previously, Sasuke seemed especially inspired. "Come, I need to show you something." his tone left no room for complaints- not like there were any to begin with. Kakashi turned and started walking down the path he had taken countless times- almost every day. The trio of new genins trailed behind him; they walked for a short while until Kakashi stopped in front of the marble memorial stone, and waited for them to settle down before speaking. "This stone has the names of all the ninja who are hailed as heroes of Konoha engraved on it. They were all KIA."

"Ooh… that sounds really cool!" Naruto stated, and Sakura frowned at him, "It means killed in action. They all died." The boy's grin slowly dropped from his face. "This is a memorial stone, the names of my closest friends are engraved here." Kakashi continued, voice growing wistful as he remembered Rin's and Obito's smiling faces. The three genin's expressions turned solemn, and a flash of emotion flickered through Sasuke's dark eyes, Kakashi missing the concealed anger in their depths. "Then they probably would feel lucky to have their friend become one of the strongest shinobi in the leaf." the Uchiha stated softly, drawing his team's attention. Naruto's gaze, however, didn't leave the stone for a moment, before he spoke. "One day I'm gonna have my name on there dattebayo," he said with conviction, not missing the way Sasuke and Sakura's faces morphed into determined ones, nodding. "Same here." Sakura voiced.

There was a comfortable silence that followed that; the serenity only broken when Sasuke asked, "So who's up for some team ramen?" Sakura and Naruto made a face but agreed anyway.

'_Hmm, I have a feeling that I'm going to like this team.'_

* * *

"Sasuke, what are you wearing?" Naruto asked, making me look up from my seat on the ground, blinking up at him. It had been a week since we were first made a team, and I'd hadn't wasted any free time I'd been privy to when I wasn't training like a lunatic- although that title really goes to Lee. I wouldn't even _attempt_ to try to match him in his training regimen. Back to the matter at hand; I need new things to entertain myself with, or I'll go insane and probably seek Orochimaru out for something interesting, so I take matters into my own hands. This time I've had that one especially popular shooter game series on my mind, and put together a Ghillie suit for shits and giggles. I even painted on some camo face paint streaks on my cheeks, like the ones they sometimes do with their thumbs all dramatic-like. Right now I was sitting cross-legged- _one with nature_\- in a partial ghillie suit that left my face and most of my clothes under it visible.

Yawning, I offered him a sleepy grin, "It's camouflage dobe." he scrunched his face at that, squinting at me, "But why?" I shrugged, "Why not?" Naruto paused, then mimicked my shrug; "fair point." my grin morphed into a smirk, nodding my head in approval. "Damn right. Anyways, when do you think Sakura and Kakashi-sensei will get here?" gesturing to the bridge void of life excluding the two of us. "Dunno dattebayo. Sakura-chan will be here soon, as for Kakashi-sensei." Naruto scowled, "he'll be hours late as always, tha' jerk." he sat down next to me with a huff, the both of us waiting it out until Sakura showed up. We were both dozing when we heard footsteps and looked up to our equally tired kunoichi teammate. She gave me one look before shrugging and sitting down on my other side, the three of us too lazy to train this morning.

Normally, I'd have enough energy to motivate the other two, but I'd spent most of the night putting together the suit to get anything more than a few hours of sleep at best. The three of us said nothing, leaning on each other and attempting to maybe catch a few minutes of shuteye. Eventually, I decided to voice something I'd been thinking about recently, stifling a yawn. "Hey Sakura," I began, the pinkette blinking blearily up at me from my shoulder, too tired to blush or react as usual. "Have you considered becoming a medic ninja? You have the control for it, and a combat medic is a very valuable ally to have in battle." she paused, the gears turning in her brain before she perked up, a little more awake than before."I actually haven't.. But, that sounds like a good idea Sasuke. '_CHA! And I can heal him if he ever gets hurt, that'll win his heart for sure!'_"

I nodded, "Yep, I'd considered it myself before as well, though I think I'd be better as a mid-range fighter. I really want to learn how to use a sword." Naruto heaved himself to his feet, dusting off his pants and suppressing his own yawn. "I'm just gonna' kick their butts with ninjutsu." he sniffed, rubbing his nose. Sakura leveled him with an unimpressed stare, "Kick their butts with ninjutsu." she echoed, standing up herself. "Do you know how many specialties there are that just ninjutsu Naruto?" he gave her a blank look, rubbing the back of his head and questioning, "What's a specialty?" Now was my turn to send a flat look his way, joining them both as they walked over to the bridge. "Different jobs that ninja who are really good at certain things do; like how a sensor would be best at tracking and such." Naruto's eyes lit up in recognition, punching his fist into an open palm. "Oh, that's what that's called… I knew that dattebayo!" he laughed, "Jus' forgot what it was called."

Snickering at his antics, I took off my bag and set it on the bridge, rummaging through it for a moment and retrieving a book on basic medical… stuff. I only briefly flipped through it at the library before deciding to give it to Sakura in hopes she picked up the skills to become useful before the Shippuden era; it would certainly give her a head start. From my knowledge on the anime, the mission in the land of waves happens at least two months after Team 7 become genin; Which means it's about seven weeks away, and that's just a rough calculation I did in my head. I hummed in contemplation, tossing the book Sakura's way and watching her barely catch it, sending me a quizzical look. "It's on anatomy and the basics of medical ninja stuff. I got it yesterday." was my response, her eyes lighting up in gratitude and thanked me.

Sakura immediately cracked open the book and got started, a hungry look in her eyes. Seeing as Naruto and I didn't have anything better to do, I shrugged and grabbed his arm, dragging him off into the field to train. "U-uh teme? Shouldn't we wait- I mean, at least till Sakura-chan's done-" he started sweating bullets at the evil smirk on my lips while I replied, "Ah, but that wouldn't be productive, would it?" I stopped and backed up until I was at a decent distance away from the tense Jinchuriki. "This is abuse dattebayo!" he called in vain, while I tutted and pulled out a handful of senbon from one of the seals on my apron(not skirt.), "Tch, you'll thank me later when people are hurling kunai and shit at you. They're way slower and obvious than these needles. You'll be so good at dodging almost silent very deadly and fast projectiles that everything else will be child's play."

He yelped when I let loose the first wave of needles, taking sadistic pleasure from his cry of;

"NO, NOT THERE TEME-"

* * *

Kakashi leveled an exasperated yet fond look at the three of us; covered in dirt, sweat, and blood. Myself with a ghillie suit; something he chose not to comment on. "Hmm, well, can't say I'm not glad that the three of you are using your time training and not lazing around-" Naruto and Sakura cut him off, "How is Sasuke training us by making us into human porcupines?!" Sakura complained, too tired and with far too many small wounds to care about being too brash with her 'true love'. "Yeah sensei, why does he get to sit back and be all evil and have all that be ok with you?" Naruto put in, trying his hardest to get his point across; he even was gesturing to me dramatically and everything. I just stood there with a satisfied smirk, slightly sweaty and breathing light- the only dirt on me rubbed on by myself to make the suit as realistic and perfectly functional as possible.

The one-eyed sensei of ours scratched the back of his head, offering a weak; "Sasuke's improving his aim and you, your dodging for dangerous missions?" Naruto's eye twitched, and he threw his hands up in the air. "All our missions are are just chores! What, is our next mission walking dogs or something dattebayo?" At Kakashi's sheepish eye-smile, he cried out with a "really?!" while Sakura just groaned tiredly. "Cool, dogs are cute." was my input.

Needless to say, it wasn't as appreciated as it ought to have been.

…

We all trudged to the missions office- well, Sakura and Naruto did. I skipped alongside a relaxed Kakashi, myself unminding of the D-ranks while our lazy sensei didn't even have to do anything but watch us and offer silent emotional support. Thanks to having the village jinchuriki_(and Naruto having a personal and familial relationship with the Hokage)_ and the 'last Uchiha' on one team apparently qualifies the Hokage for signing off every mission we get. I'm not complaining, the old mans' pretty cool. Though the lingering thought in the back of my head saying it was partially his fault for the Uchiha massacre because of his lack of balls kind of takes a lot of that away. ah well. Team 7 finally arrived, the blonde greeting Hizuzen-sama with a yawn and a lazy wave. "Ah, tired Naruto-kun?" the old man chuckled heartily, eyes twinkling with amusement. The boy pouted, before crossing his arms, "Sasuke is even more of a slavedriver than Kakashi-sensei. Plus he already told us we were doin' some lame D-ranks today."

The elderly man who could probably snap my neck _very_ easily with just his pinkie took a puff of his pipe, exhaling deeply and looking over a mission scroll that was rolled out when we arrived. "Naruto, even if you say that these missions are 'lame' doesn't mean they're any less important to the good of Konoha. Besides, you'll have to build up a good relationship with the citizens of the leaf before you can become Hokage right?" Too tired to protest his logic, he relented and Kakashi retrieved the scroll from Hiruzen's wrinkled, weathered hand with an eye-smile. "See? Sasuke is such a cute student. Not even Naruto is as loud in the morning anymore-" -I coughed, "You mean afternoon." -Another cough. The Hokage laughed, "Indeed Kakashi-kun, I might have to hire your team to keep Konohamaru busy."

While the two old men shared a few more words, I turned to my team and looped my arms around theirs, giving them a grin. "Come on guys, let's do some D-ranks." Sakura sighed, "At this rate, we'll be stuck doing these for the rest of our careers."

* * *

Remember how I said the dogs were going to be cute? _They are so cute, so precious, even the one dragging Naruto into that restricted minefield- _Oh shit. Shrugging, I reached down and gave the adorable bulldog and german shepherd I was walking scratches behind the ears. Sakura was walking two puppies- and Naruto, of course, chose the biggest dog of them all to walk. Wait a minute...

* * *

"Wow, that's so pretty Sasuke!" Sakura exclaimed, admiringly the intricately painted roses covering her right forearm. I smiled, "Thanks Sakura, now, if only Naruto would keep still while I finish these dragon Lilies on his arm…" Our sensei appeared after a few minutes, beginning to make up some excuse about helping an old lady before seeing that I was painting. Kakashi raised a brow at my artwork, watching as I hissed at Naruto to keep still. "But it tickles Sasuke!" I tighten my grip on his arm, digging in my short nails. "If you make me mess up on these flowers I'll be extra generous when we train together tomorrow." he stiffened at that, making me smirk a little. "Good, now, was that so hard?" he glowered at me with a look in his eyes promising revenge one day. I simply smiled viciously, _bring it._

* * *

It was a nice clear sunny day in Konoha, and there was a pleasant breeze as well. Currently, I was in a nice Dango shop- the same one Itachi and Kisame stop at after the Chūnin exams. Speaking of that time… I think I'll force myself onto Jiraiya, maybe butter him up by saying Icha Icha is amazing or whatever then get a free ride to Tsunade- and be at the exact location the Akatsuki attempt to kidnap Naruto prematurely. I believe it's the perfect place for a family reunion, barring Kisame doesn't mind, though I don't think he would. Taking another sip of the tea I ordered, I almost spat it out when a hand reached over and snatched up my dango. _I didn't even sense or feel the person there_. "Thanks, kid, you're are just too kind." a woman's voice said into my ear, and I could practically feel the sass.

I made a choking sound and turned around, leveling an unimpressed look on- one Anko. Oh. She shoved the sticks into her mouth, instantly making any attempts to get my dumplings back useless. She made a face, "Ugh, there's practically no sugar on these things." I stared at her for another moment, before giving her a deadpan stare, "I mean, you shouldn't have taken my food in the first place- whatever, you owe me now hoe." she placed her hands on her hips, leaving me a full view of her skintight fishnetted body. Hah, you think that'll work on me bitch? I'm 100% hotter than you could ever be and I've barely started puberty. "You got some guts kid, what makes you think I'll do anything you say?"

I held up a finger, stuffing the stick I had in my hand into my mouth, "One; I'm in love with only myself so such a provocative display won't get you anywhere. Plus I'm a child, so… hmm, two; I'll buy you as much dango as you want if you train me." she stared for a moment, before laughing, wiping a wake tear out of her eye. "Ahah- ah, I think I like you kid, though are you really sure what you're getting into? Me, train you for a limitless supply of dango? You sure bout' that kid?" I nodded, finishing off my dango and gulping down the rest of my tea. "Well, it's not like I really blow all my money off on everything, so I should be golden. Please train me?" her lips stretched into a feral smile, "Careful what you wish for, and I think I'll take you up on that deal." I mirrored her smile with my own, seeing a few people in the shop inch away from us in amusement.

'Hmm, I think this is a start to a beautiful friendship'.

* * *

I hummed while running the paintbrush over the wooden fence, ignoring Naruto as he attempted something stupid yet again. Painting in general was so calming; just so… nice to do. At least that's how it is for me, even if we are only repainting a white fence a solid color. I was so lost in my own world that when I was hit with the cold paint I let out strangled noise freezing, only to slowly turn to the blonde who was apologizing profusely, Sakura rubbing her temples and grumbling, "It's only you Naruto." I felt my eye twitch, lips spreading into a cruel smile. "Naruto," I reached into my weapons pouch and slowly pulled out a handful of senbon needles, features smoothing out into a serene expression. "Y-yeah?" I held them up and twisted my fingers, the needles ready to be thrown at any second with precision. "You might want to start running."

* * *

Kakashi sighed, chastising me lightly, "Now Sasuke, this is the fifth time this week Naruto has had to go to the hospital for injuries relating to senbon, especially in… sensitive… areas." Shrugging from my spot on the guest chair, the nurse scribbling something down on her clipboard stopped and openly gawked at me. "You're the reason for his almost daily visits?! He comes in here looking like a human pincushion! Why…?" Pausing in the inspection of my nails, I glanced around at my team for a moment before answering, "Because we're shinobi; it's just some wounds from when we're training, nothing too serious." Naruto was sitting on the hospital bed, senbon all removed and stored back into my storage seals courtesy of Kakashi; speaking of the scarecrow, he was leaning against the doorway with his eyes glued on his book, occasioning glancing up in conversation. Sakura was in the other guest seat, reading one of the many medical texts she accumulated or borrowed from the library or hospital.

Oh, so Sakura took a job at the facility- that was all her. Sure, she isn't performing surgery, but she's getting the basics down and I think her sensei is going to teach her the mystical palm jutsu soon. Still don't know who it is- she hasn't mentioned him other than he is very patient and kind, which is nice. The nurse shook her head, muttering something while she finished writing on her clipboard, sending a scowl my way when she turned and left the room. I leaned back in the chair, sighing and closing my eyes. It was silent for a while, nobody wanted to speak- we were all too tired from the paint disaster earlier today. I started getting restless after a bit, deciding to voice a question, "So, are we doing any other D-ranks today?" Kakashi gave a slight shrug, "I think it'd be best if we all went home."

Suddenly, I was struck with an awesome idea, blinking open my eyes and giving my teammates an enthusiastic grin. They eyed me warily, knowing I had something to say- kinda funny how we know each other almost like an extension of ourselves now. "We should have a team sleepover at my place- think of it as an apology for sticking you two full of needles for the past couple weeks." My teammates seemed to ponder this, Naruto being the first to speak up. "Sure teme, that sounds like fun dattebayo!" his own grin mimicking mine. Sakura yawned, "I'd have to ask my parents… but, I think I'd be able to come." we turned to Kakashi expectantly, the Jōnin raising a brow. "Hmm?" he questioned, being a bit wary at being the center of attention for our intense stares. "Will you come to the sleepover with us Kakashi-sensei? It's for the whole team after all- _even if you don't do anything sensei._" Sakura grumbled the last part, Naruto and I nodding along.

"Yeah sensei, it's for the whole team." I echoed, even going as far as pulling out the puppy eyes. He gave me an unimpressed one-eyed stare, though I could tell he was amused. "Puppy eyes don't work on me, I raised dogs." Coughing, I gestured to myself, "How can you say no to this beautiful face?" he chuckled, "I don't see anything worth calling beautiful in this room excluding my book." was his smartass reply- oh, it's kind of self-deprecating too… Naruto and Sakura squawked at that, rushing over and hugging me, earning a few snickers from myself. "Don't worry Sasuke, he's just lying." Sakura soothed, caressing my face lovingly. Naruto nodded, "Yeah teme, you're the prettiest person in this village dattebayo." he assured me, patting my head. I sniffled, "Do you really mean it?" their response was to hug me tighter and give me a serious look. We all stared at each other for another moment, before bursting into giggles. I almost missed the soft look in Kakashi's eye at our antics. "Awe, you guys are the best~" I crowed, before succumbing to another fit of laughter. Soon we were just laughing at each other's laughs, unable to stop even when our sides started hurting. "H-ah! I can't breath-" I wheezed out, making my teammates laugh harder at the strangled sounds I was making.

By the time we had gotten a handle on ourselves, we were wiping tears away from our eyes, the occasional snicker leaving our lips. "So Kakashi-sensei, will you join us?" I asked again, slowly unpeeling myself from Naruto and Sakura's arms, them mimicking my actions. He sighed dramatically, putting away his book, "Guess I have no choice." We cheered, racing out of the room through the window to get our stuff ready.

* * *

I was sitting on the couch in my living room, the rest of the team was supposed to be arriving in about half an hour, leaving me time to get things ready. Popcorn and drinks were already set out on the coffee table, along with blankets, pillows, and sleeping bags in a large pile on the floor. Since I had some time to kill, I pulled out a small scroll from one of my storage seals on the apron I took off. I had changed and taken a shower beforehand, and opted on wearing some fluffy pajama pants with little duckies on them and a baggy white t-shirt that had a huge pink heart smack dab in the middle as a design. Is it girly? Yep. I never cared for social normality in the first place; I wear and do what I want, simple really. If it confuses and creeps other people out all the better.

The scroll was something I'd been working on the past week; I'd been planning for the Chūnin exams and the events afterward, and have been writing a _very_ long letter that I was going to slip to Itachi when the time was right. Basically all the things I've been up to, new ideas, some pieces of artwork on a separate storage seal inside, a hefty amount of dango, you know. I just wanna _see_ Konoha _try to stop me_ from catching up with my brother, I dare them- dare Danzo the child creeper. One of these days I'm gonna slip up and call someone the nickname I have for them in my head and they're gonna punt me across the elemental nations.

After a short while I hear a knock on my door, and a voice shouting, "open up teme!" It's probably Kakashi. I rolled up the scroll and sealed it away while getting up to open the door, calling back, "just a minute!" after dusting off some imaginary dirt from my pajama pants, I grabbed the handle and swung the door open, being immediately assaulted by a cacophony of noise. Sakura was smacking Naruto for some reason- and is that Kiba? Wait, all of the rookie 9? Once he saw me, Naruto sheepishly scratched the back of his head, breaking the ice with, "This place is creepy at night dattebayo." I idly noted everyone had various bags- presumably full of their sleep clothes, snacks, and other things relating to a sleepover. Quirking a brow, I replied, "Yeah, deters most intruders too. So, why is everyone here and not just you two? I mean, I don't really mind but-" I shrugged, and Ino shot an accusatory glare at the blonde, making him inch closer to me. "So Sasuke-kun didn't even know we were coming?" Waving off any threats, I offered the group a small smile and stepped to the side of the door. "It's fine, please make yourself at home."

After everyone filed in, I closed and locked the door after stepping inside, watching as everyone got situated. "Ooh, popcorn!" Choji said and grabbed one of the bowls, taking a seat on the couch; Shikamaru and Ino joining him. Naruto and Sakura set up a couple of the beanbags on the floor, while Hinata accompanied Shino as they got some more drinks from the kitchen. Kiba and Naruto started chatting away, making me smirk slightly. Thinking for a moment about where I would sit, I shrugged and sprinted towards the couch, jumping and landing on Shikamarus lap. He let out a wheezing noise while I wrapped my arms around his neck, batting my eyelashes at him while pursing my lips. "I've missed you Shika-kun~, we haven't gotten to spend any time together for a while." he made a face, before sighing and deciding it wasn't worth expending the energy to kick me off.

"We all haven't really, except for the other members on our teams." I stuck my tongue out at him, "Aw, why can't you just admit you've missed me already Shi-ka-maru." I purred, running a finger down his shirt. He shivered in disgust while Naruto snorted and made fun of his misery. Shikamaru's normally sleepy expression dropped into a deadpan stare and regarded me with a look one would give if you came upon a mildly disturbing scene of two animals tearing each other apart in the wild. "I'm regretting choosing to come to this get-together, it's such a drag." my face fell into a pout, "So mean Shika-kun," I whined, unpeeling my arms from his person and begrudgingly getting off his lap. Turning to Naruto, I popped the question; "So, how did you manage to drag everyone here in the first place anyway?"

"Heh heh… Well, I know you said it's a team sleepover, but we all haven't really had the time to meet up together- the rookie nine dattebayo. I was just gonna get Shikamaru and maybe Hinata, but everyone found out and tagged along." he nodded, "Hmm, yeah, that sounds about right." humming, I accepted his answer and went into the kitchen for some tomatoes, content with just snacking on those the rest of the night. At some point, we started a movie marathon. Kakashi showed up about a movie and a half in, offering some lame excuse about him taking a super long shower or something. The Jōnin made sure no one murdered anyone else and prevent Naruto from cooking and burning down the whole compound- _what a kind and generous man._

I must have fallen asleep at some point because I found myself startling awake when someone shook me awake. I reacted and reached for the kunai I always keep under my pillow to slit the throat of the unfortunate fool who decided to mess with my beauty sleep. Upon finding myself with no kunai and a different room other than my bedroom, my eyes shot open and I jumped up from my spot on the couch- Sharingan spinning wildly and scanning the entire room before landing on a startled Naruto. "Jeez teme," he whispered, while I deactivated my kekkei genkai, eyes fading back to their usual onyx color. My eyes narrowed, "why'd you wake me up Naruto?" I hissed in a low voice, noting everyone sprawled out around the living room asleep. He scratched the back of his head, adopting a sheepish expression, warily inching away from my dangerous aura I was unconsciously projecting. "I couldn't sleep?" he offered, bringing his arms up in an attempt placate me. "So you woke _me_ up?" One thing about myself is that I absolutely despise being woken up in the morning- or any time for that matter, when someone isn't dying or if the village isn't on fire.

"Hey hey, you're gonna wake them up!" he whisper-yelled at me, gesturing frantically to a few of our friends who were starting to stir. I kept glaring while I reeled in my killing intent as best I could, watching as they settled back into sleep again. I landed on the floor soundlessly, motioning for him to follow me as I weaved around the sleeping bags and strewn about food. Naruto trailed after me as I made my way to the kitchen, glancing at the clock on the wall and scrunching my nose in disdain. Sending the blonde a look, I asked, "four AM? Really?" Opening the fridge and grabbing a tomato, I went through the motions of making coffee, too awake to go back to sleep but too tired to function normally. He took a seat at the kitchen table, silent for a moment before he spoke up. "I had a nightmare."

I paused mid-step, then resumed what I was doing while taking a bite out of the fruit in my hand. "Tea always helps." was my quiet reply, opening one of the cabinets and taking out a box with numerous different teas and placing it silently on the counter. I glanced back and saw him offer me a smile and get up to grab it, opening another cabinet for a cup. After a few minutes, I sat down at the kitchen table with a steaming cup of black coffee. Naruto joined me with his tea and sent me a look while I chugged the scalding hot liquid. Hey, when you shot fireballs out of your mouth almost daily(training), a little hot coffee is _nothing_. Well, actually I coat my throat with chakra to prevent burns- and it's probably not good for my internal organs… meh. I rubbed at my eyes, sighing in content, ah, that really warm feeling feels super nice. It was quiet, the rest of my guests sleeping- though I suspect Kakashi is always listening and watching- and still managing to catch some sleep; I saw the sky was brightening slowly as the minutes ticked by.

"Hey, Sasuke?" I turned towards the blonde, raising a brow and replying, "Hn?" his relaxed look morphed to a nervous one, causing him to smile shakily. "You're not still mad about me waking you up, right?" he winced when my lips curled into a vicious smirk. "Training is gonna be _extra_ fun today."

He blanched and started making these choking noises. '_Huh, funny'_.

* * *

_**Omake; Cracked up team introductions**_

Team 7's new sensei proceded to silently stare at them as soon as he walked into the classroom, not even reacting when the chalkboard eraser hit his head. After a few more minutes he let out a shaky breath, muttering a petrified, "No…"

"Yosh! Our sensei is finally here!" Naruto cheered, fist-pumping the air enthusiastically in his bright neon orange spandex jumpsuit, yellow bowl cut swaying with the movement. "But it was quite unyouthful of him to be so late." the pink-haired kunoichi pouted, hands on her hips and own tasteful red spandex. "..." Sasuke was silent, sitting on the ceiling in a meditative pose with his eyes open. His gaze locked with Kakashi's, the Uchiha blinked slowly before a twisted and malicious grin spread across his lips; not unlike one a lion would give a small rabbit. He was in a completely white kimono, Sharingan active and spinning, and with his long black hair draping over his face, he was particularly unsettling.

The Jonin pondered his options, before deciding to try and speak with… the only one not wearing spandex. They were all insane without a doubt, but the Uchiha at least has to have the mellowest persona. Sakura and Naruto were screaming now about youth and getting each other fired up, yells of 'CHA', and 'Dattebayo!' echoed throughout the empty classroom. "So.. uh, Sasuke was it?" said boy's creepy smile slowly dropped into a serene one, and he nodded, letting himself fall off the ceiling and landed on his toes. "Yes."

"Can you tell them to meet me up on the roof for team introductions in five minutes?" he nodded, "Of course. By the way, have you seen my art? I'm very proud of it you see." Kakashi let out another shaky sigh, before shaking his head slowly. The smile immediately dropped from his face while his gaze intensified, seemingly staring into the depths of the Hatake's soul. "It's on the Hokage monument, how anyone could miss it is beyond me. Why don't you look out the window to see it?" he had a very bad feeling about this, be complied and peered out like requested. The boy had painted over the stone faces and replaced their image with people of his choosing.

Hashirama's face had been painted to resemble Itachi, his criminal brother. Tobirama's had a spiraling orange mask with a single Sharingan eye staring out of its hole. Somehow that image made a shiver run down Kakashi's spine. Hiruzen's face resembled Sasuke's-no surprise there for anyone who knew the boy-, and lastly, Minato's looked like Madara's. Naruto caught him staring and startled him out of his inspection when he shouted, "Sasuke-chan turned the Hokage mountain into the Uchiha mountain, it's very youthful in my opinion!" Sasuke wiped a faux tear away from his eye and sniffled, "Thank you Naru-chan, I always put effort into my art and this piece is perfect. We might as well change our village name from Konohagakure to Uchihagakure."

Sakura nodded rapidly, flushing and exclaimed with stars in her eyes, "YOSH! All your ideas are perfect Sasuke-kun, marry me!" he took the fair maidens hand and kissed it, smirking up at her with a smoldering look in his eye. Her heart rate picked up and she squealed, fainting on the spot. She fell and her form landed in a tasteful pose, long hair spreading out around her unconscious form like a halo. It was all too much of a sight for the young starstruck Naruto to take and he fainted too with a massive nosebleed.

Kakashi looked on in detached wonder, Sasuke meeting his eyes again with the smuggest smirk the boy could muster. "They won't wake up until we get them to the roof, maybe then they will have calmed down with their… you know." the Uchiha didn't say the dreaded word since he knew it would practically reanimate the blonde and pinkette with stronger fire to boot. Sasuke threw both of his teammates over his shoulder and effortlessly carried them up the stairs, trailing after the Jonin. Kakashi's mind had been overstimulated with such displays of the fire of youth, along with Sasuke's odd obsession with the validation with his art- Kakashi would say that stemmed from his own insecurities but chose not to comment in fear of what the young Uchiha would do to him.

Once he was comfortably seated he chanced a look at the trio in front of him, Sasuke in between the unconscious spandex lovers on the stairs. "Can you… wake them up?" the artist nodded, then leaned down and whispered something into each of their ears, leaning back some when they both shot up, reenergized. "So Kakashi-sensei, we are to introduce ourselves?" Sasuke asked, and the Hatake nodded, choosing to ignore the fact he already knew his name. "But Kakashi-sensei, how are we supposed to introduce our youthful selves?" Sakura asked, tilting her head to the side in confusion. Naruto nodded along, "Yosh, how about you do it first sensei so we know how to?" Kakashi cleared his throat, "Uhm… like this. Ahem, my name is Hatake Kakashi, the things I like and things I don't like… I can't think of at the moment. My hobbies are… reading… my dream for the future? Protect this village and someday raise an exceptional genin team."

Naruto and Sakura stared wide-eyed at the Jonin with stars in their eyes, while Sasuke looked unimpressed. (Keep in mind he still has his Sharingan active.) "Your dream is most youthful dattebayo!" the pinkette gave a thumbs up, "Indeed Naru-kun, let us run 50 laps around the village after this; I'm fired up CHA!"

"We have to introduce ourselves next Sakura." Sasuke reminded her, making her blush in response. "Sorry, it's just hard to control my youthful fire like this.." how she said that in such a shy and apprehensive tone with forever mystify Kakashi. "Me first!" Naruto bounced in place, vibrating with youthful energy. "My name is Uzumaki Naruto. I like ramen, youth, youthfulness, ramen, my youthful friends, youthful foods like ramen… and my dream' is to be the greatest and most youthful Hokage dattebayo!" Kakashi had to stop himself from jumping off of the roof and joining his friends and father in the afterlife, and instead stay seated and listen to two lunatics and one psychopath integrate themselves under his tutelage. 'Why can't anything in my life be easy?' Kakashi thought with a mental whine, only to mentally scream out his frustrations a second later when Sakura introduced herself.

"I'm Haruno Sakura! What I like is- I mean the person I want to spend the rest of my days with is Sasuke." she openly stared at him with a blushing face. "My dream is-" she couldn't contain herself and squealed, throwing herself at the impassive boy and wrapping her limbs around his waist, nuzzling into his hair. "FUCK ME NOW SASUKE!" she screamed, making Naruto gasp. Kakashi watched as Naruto's heart was broken into itty bitty pieces then set on fire, then thrown into a pit and buried- only to be dug up and reanimated only to be broken just as violently again. When Sakura started rubbing her body against Sasuke's is when Kakashi snapped and stood, shunshining over and grabbing the Uchiha's arm, and yanking him out of the pinkettes vice-grip; he shunshined away with Sasuke in tow, traveling to the village gates and booting Sasuke out. "Your mission is to hunt and return with a rabbit for provisions- survival exercise!" before the boy could object the silver-haired Jonin shunshined away, presumably to hide and try to wait the insanity out and hope that this was some kind of sick dream. Sasuke shrugged, then turned and skipped off into the woods, happily humming Disney songs.

* * *

_"Often people have it wrong, mistakenly believing… that showing mercy to an enemy is kindness. They spare the foe whose life is in their hands. But don't you see? It's an empty existence, to go on living… alone and unloved… when defeat's already cost you your dream!" – Haku_

* * *

"When people get hurt, they learn to hate… When people hurt others, they become hated and racked with guilt. But knowing that pain allows people to be kind. Pain allows people to grow… and how you grow is up to you." – Jiraiya

* * *

**I will probably go back and correct grammar mistakes later on cause I'm too lazy to do it now hehe.**

**Also ref for Sasuke down below- ignore the different clothing, it's just random**

creepergirl890/art/Sasuke-from-Is-this-Reality-828881526


	13. Chapter 13

**Sorry that my chapters jump around a bit- I promise longer scenes in the future!**

**Also, I've resolved to write more than 3k word chapters now. Expect 5k and up :D**

**(P.s, changed cover picture.)**

**Enjoy the chapter~**

* * *

_"Sasuke, I always knew you were alone. In the beginning, I was glad because I thought you were like me – I wanted to talk to you! But you… didn't speak. You always had everyone watching you. You could do everything and we were too different. So I decided that you would become my rival. I didn't want to lose because I was called a loser all the time. Even when we became Team 7, I still thought this way. I always tried to lie but… but the truth is… I always wanted to be like you. I aspired to be like you. Because of that… I was glad that you wanted to fight me." – Naruto Uzumaki_

* * *

"Alright, you're pretty good at dodging normal senbon now, so it's time to amp up the difficulty." I delivered with a feral grin, making my teammates eye me warily, muscles tense and ready to dodge should I begin without warning. I produced senbon between my fingers, bells jingling softly from my left hand. I had decided to rip that sound girl off- _Kin_ and use bells on some of the needles to distract my opponents. This was still a fairly new thing I had implemented into my arsenal- something completely foreign to my dear teammates. "Ready?" I chirped, while they nodded resolutely, "ready." Naruto confirmed; I began my assault. I threw both sets of the senbon at the same time, Naruto and Sakura were barely able to dodge any in confusion. "Wha-" the blonde yelped as a row hit him in the arm. I never hit any vital spots, but that didn't mean the tiny things hurt any less. He hissed in pain, before dropping in a crouch to evade the ones heading towards his chest.

"The bells are to distract us naruto!" Sakura shouted, moving nimbly to the side, dodging rows of the needles. He made a sound to let her know he heard before straining his eyes to see them coming, cursing when the ringing distracted him again. "I've got an idea!" he called, ducking and rolling closer to the pinkette. He waited until the spray of needles let up for a few seconds, before ripping off some fabric from his t-shirt and stuffing two pieces in his ears, blocking the ringing from the bells and relying solely on sight and instinct. Senbon normally made little to no sound, meaning you usually strain your ears to hear them to dodge more effectively. Throwing bells into the mix will throw someone off- if only for a moment if they're a seasoned Jōnin. I kept this up for ten more minutes, watching as they slowly improved at evading my needles again- Sakura having stuck her fingers in her ears and swiveling around like a dancer without the use of her arms. Fashion everything else; something I agree with wholeheartedly.

When I finally stopped they both took their DIY sound blockers out of their ears and planted their hands on their thighs, panting slightly with exertion, Sakura more so than Naruto- but that's no surprise. I took this time to stretch, flexing my fingers and toes, settling into a relaxed stance. Covering my mouth when I felt a yawn bubbling up in my throat, I started towards the needle covered area, Sakura and Naruto joining me in retrieving them all after a moment. Doing a once over of the area, and nodding in satisfaction when we had picked up most of the needles, I motioned for them to follow me out of the training ground and back to the bridge. As I took my spot on the railing an idea struck me, turning to the pinkette and blonde to voice it before I forgot. "We should make a team symbol."

They both sent me thoughtful looks, "That sounds like a cool idea…" Naruto trailed off, lips stretching into a grin, "Oh boy! what's it gonna look like dattebayo?" I returned his optimism with my own, replying, "maybe a combination of all our clan symbols? The Uzumaki spiral, the Haruno circle, and the Uchiha fan?" Sakura nodded with a smile; Naruto briefly paused, confused. "I have a clan?" Sakura adopted a curious look as well, a question in her eyes. Rolling my eyes, I replied. "The Uzumaki clan. Sealing masters. None of this rings a bell?" Sakura scrunched her nose, "I may have heard of them…" The blonde perked up, "I have a clan? I have a clan!" I felt awful about dashing his hopes when I voiced, "The Uzumaki clan from the land of whirlpools? Sounds right. Anyways, they were attacked, the clan scattered to the winds. You probably won't meet many other members, they also don't share your hair color. Uzumaki's are known for their vast reserves of chakra, sealing, and bright red hair. So one of your parents most likely had yellow hair."

He looked disappointed, a shadowed look in his eyes, before he brightened and announced with determination, "But that means that there might be... _Family_ out there. All the more reason to become strong enough to find them." he clenched his fist, "I won't give up on that chance, I'm willing to risk it dattebayo."

A small smile formed on my face, offering an encouraging pat on the shoulder. "I don't doubt that." he was silent for another moment, before mirroring my smile and replying, "there could be more Uchiha out there too." the statement caused me to stiffen, before shaking my head, smile turning rueful. "I doubt any other Uchiha besides my brother-"_-Shisui, and Obito-_" exist." It was right then that I was struck by a terrible thought, the smile dropping completely and a blank, calculative look taking its place on my face. Danzo had collected dead clan member's eyes- what would have stopped him from taking small, forgettable children for root, or future Sharingan breeding? Their deaths covered up or faked easily enough- malleable new tools… it was unlikely but…

I felt a surge of hot rage wash over me, my eyes activating into the recognizable Sharingan pattern out of anger. '_Tch, hasn't he already done enough to the Uchiha?_ Though it was their ego and pride that tipped the scale and led to their destruction, the root cause for all that anguish boils down to the old war hawk- _maybe Zetsu_\- probably. However, it's undeniable that the man's actions are his own- _selfish_. I felt bile rise in my throat, it's disgusting really, him and his actions. _He's going to die. Painfully_. I doubt I could kill him now- scratch that, I _couldn't_. It's not the time, and I'm still just 13, a baby Uchiha. I know he wants me dead as well- I stand between him and Itachi, a perfect tool should Danzo manage any semblance of control of him. Chuckling at that thought, I forced myself to calm down, letting my eyes fade to black. Like the old man could ever order Itachi around now- not like a mindless tool. It's laughable, the man's power pales in comparison to my brother's.

Focusing back on the here and now, I noticed a very concerned Sakura and Naruto. "It's nothing, just slipped into another train of thought. It's fine, honestly." I waved off their concerns, though I suspect it won't be that easy to evade the slew of questions bound to follow this incident. "Anyway, team symbol. We're getting off track here." Sakura was the first to break the awkwardness, "Right, that sounds like a good idea- mixing the three clan symbols I mean." Naruto followed, nodding along, "Yeah, but how are we gonna get them made?" Luckily, I already had a plan. "I can draw it, then commission a tailor to make them- then sew them onto our clothing." Naruto struck a thinking pose, squinting, "we could put them on our weapon pouches." my lips curled into a grin, "sounds like a plan guys. Now, we still have some time to kill before Kakashi-sensei gets here. Wanna go get ramen or something?" the blonde member of our trio lit up and started bouncing in place, "Hell yes dattebayo! We haven't had ramen in forever!"

Sakura clocked him on the head, shouting, "We had Ichiraku's two days ago!" he whined, clutching the bump on his head. "That's still too long!" the boy protested, making me snicker.

And with that, I enjoyed some nice food with my team, putting all thoughts of Danzo out of my mind.

* * *

Another day, another D-rank mission. This time we were picking weeds; I suggested for Naruto to use shadow clones and we finished in record time- much to Kakashi's disappointment. "Well, it seems like you're being more productive than useful today my cute little genins. I suppose we ought to take extra missions to burn off all that energy!" Kakashi chirped, much to the disappointment of my teammates.

* * *

"Sasuke! Why aren't you helping us?!" Naruto yelled, falling flat on his face when he slipped, the chicken he was trying to grab escaping into the bushes. "Huh?" I looked up from my nails, pausing in my meticulous brushstrokes. He heaved himself onto his knees and sent a fierce scowl my way, gesturing to where I was sitting on one of the hay bales stacked against the barn. It really was a lovely farm, and naturally, we were doing another D-rank mission- this time rounding up chickens that escaped from their pen- about twenty in total. With the three of us, it should have been no problem… but were team 7. Nothing about us or our missions are normal or go as planned. I had volunteered to catch eight of them, leaving the other twelve to my teammates- them having to catch at least six each.

"You're just sitting there painting your nails- _why are you painting your nails on our D-rank mission?_ Do them when we get to the bridge!" Blowing lightly on my nails, I capped the black nail polish and examined my work, satisfied with the matte finish. Sparing Naruto a glance, I replied, "Cause' I'm bored, plus I already did my share, the chickens aren't that hard to catch." his scowl deepened, "We're a team." quirking a brow, I tilted my head to the side and asked him to elaborate with a "Hn." he sighed in frustration, pinching the bridge of his nose, "and as a team, we should work together teme." smiling at the nickname, I simply slid the bottle of nail polish into my pocket and stood, stretching. "Fine fine… I'll show you a trick to getting them to stay still." Naruto and I hunted around for the chicken that escaped, activating my Sharingan to find it in the underbrush.

_Okay, the chickens were very elusive_\- it's not cheating!

….

I can imagine every Uchiha who ever lived rolling around in their graves right now because I'm using the legendary Dojutsu- the thing that everyone and their mother wants a piece of- eyes that hold the power to cause massive collateral damage, summon giant chakra constructs that can destroy fucking mountains, master almost unbreakable genjutsu, see-through all deceptions- _to find little chickens for a D-rank mission._

'_Shisui would be proud'_, I thought with a sniffle.

Pushing aside that thought, I finally found it, grinning and sprinting towards it. I held it down while it struggled, then drew a line in the dirt from its eyes, Naruto staring in awe as the chicken went limp. _See dad? All those hours watching youtube wasn't in vain!_ "Is it dead?" he questioned dumbly, crouching down to join me on the ground and staring at the hypnotized bird. I gave him a flat look, "Would I kill the chickens we were supposed to capture _alive?_" he squinted at me, silent for a moment before I sighed. "It's just... Hypnotized. Like it's under a genjutsu- but it's natural." he poked it with his finger, flinching back prematurely.

The chicken just laid there.

"Wow! How does it work Sasuke?" he asked, carefully tying the chicken's legs together with some twine before picking it up cautiously. I shrugged, "Have no clue, just saw someone do it once and it worked." Naruto accepted the answer and ran back to the chicken coup, eager to try it with the rest of them judging by the cackling.

Cracking my knuckles I started back towards my previous spot, wondering if I could get a summoning contract for chickens- as a gift for the jinchuriki. That'd be funny, though Jiraiya might beat me for not letting him contract the toads first.

* * *

I had a variety of paint, ranging from gold to black and countless other colors. The Naka shrine was a dreary place, and kinda creepy. It was also where the special tablet was and where the Uchiha coup de' at plans were made. All in all, pretty creepy. The own place was almost entirely away from the world- it had seals that made it so no sensory nor byakugan user could even catch a glimpse in this place.

And it's all mine(excluding Obito, Shisui, and Itachi. Though none of them are here to stop me.)

I think it needs a dash of life- maybe bucketfuls of life.

Time to get started on my passion project.

...

I started on the left wall, sketching out some designs with a pencil before painting over them. This was all about Uchiha ego so I created a massive portrait of Madara with his base Sharingan active, along with the smuggest smirk on his lips. The painting was on one of the walls near the tablet itself, and let me tell you, Madara looked pretty damn good.

When I had completely finished the wall I felt like I could eat like an Akimichi. It also didn't help that you couldn't tell what time of day it was in here. I cleaned the paint off my brushes with a rag, then went about stacking the paint cans neatly in the corner for further use. The finishing touches on the piece were my signature at the bottom, and a few random messages referencing things about Maddie- like how he cant pee when someones' standing behind him. "That's about it for today," I said to myself, stretching and making my way out of the underground room.

Setting the tatami mat back in place snugly, I left the shrine completely, whistling when I noticed it was already nighttime. "Time flies when you're having fun, huh?" I chuckled, stuffing my hands into the pockets of my sweatpants and heading off to bed.

* * *

"Anko!" I greeted the woman, walking into the training field we met up at occasionally during the last few weeks. "Ah, there's my little minion." she grinned, "Ready for some epic training? I was thinking about taking you down to TAI to show you the works and maybe test your skills on one of our prisoners." Ignoring the pang in my heart at the nickname, I echoed her grin and bounced in place. "Sounds awesome! Can we go now?" she returned my enthusiasm, "Hell yeah, you're actually not that bad kid." I sent her a wink, "Of course not. No one can resist my charms for long." she rolled her eyes, "Uh-huh. You're never gonna be on my level kid." I smirked, "You're right, since I've already passed it quite a while ago."

The banter and jokes passed between us casually as Anko led me to the TIA building. It was quite ominous, though that's probably the point. "Hmm, hey Anko-neechan?" she hummed, leading me into the building and down seemingly endless hallways. "Do you use poisons? You use snakes, do they provide that? Could I sign the snack contract?"

"Woah Woah, slow down kid. As for your questions, yes, naturally. It's fun to watch your enemy literally puke up their intestines. Yes, most snakes are generally poisonous- well, the ones that matter." she chuckled, "Hmm, the last one? Maybe in the future, once you've proven yourself to me." she mused, stopping abruptly in front of a door. "Ah, here we are!"

It was a solid metal door with a small window that you couldn't really see anything out of. She opened it and entered with me right behind her. This seemed to be an observation room, with a wide one-sided window looking out into a cell; I noted what seemed like a missing-nin tied to a chair in the middle of the room. It was also pretty cold- though it didn't really bother me much. I suspect it was my fire affinity(Uchiha's are pretty warm, so they're great huggers. If only more Uchiha realized this…)

The guy was pretty ugly and kept shouting challenges that echoed off the concrete walls. Anko cracked her knuckles, lips curling into a feral grin, "I'm gonna make a go at him then you'll demonstrate what you can do." with that, she opened the door and closed it while I watched her saunter up to the man. "Good morning!" she chirped, while the man sneered. "They sent in some paid whore to get me to talk?" I snickered when a dangerous glint appeared in her eyes, while she gently placed her geta on his crotch. "Oh, you might really wanna talk now~" she cooed, slowly increasing the weight on her foot. He flinched, "Tch, as if-" she stomped down on his little friend, twisting her foot to maximize the pain. As his screams echoed off the walls I instinctively cringed, twitching with second-hand pain. "Damn, she's single isn't she,'' I muttered, watching in morbid fascination as she ran a finger down his chest, grinding her foot once more for emphasis. "Hmm, did you like that honey?" she purred, meanwhile the man was whimpering- but still looked defiant. "You bitch!" was his reply while her face fell into a pout. "Aw, well." she shrugged and lifted her foot and walked out of the room, sending me a smirk at the doorway. "Your turn Sasu-chan." my own lips turned up to mimic hers, "Cool."

I yawned and stepped into the room, the door closing behind me. I knew Anko was watching me intensely through the glass, which made me want to impress her all the more.

Hey, I just really want that snake contract.

The man barked a laugh, bringing me out of my thoughts. "Really? A brat? Kid, just quit while you're ahead, you're getting nothing from me." I approached him slowly, coming to a stop and leaned down so our noses were almost touching. "Oh, I think I will."

Reaching into my pocket, I withdrew a couple of senbon, taking the first one and expertly stabbing it into his knee as far as possible, eliciting a cry of pain. "D-dammit" he hissed, thrashing around in his bonds. I took the tip and twisted, then stuck the other needle into the underside of his arm, slipping it past the bones and watching in fascination at it broke the skin on the other side. I giggled at the pained look on his face, "Sorry, this is my first time, so I might accidentally permanently damage you if you don't talk- ah, well."

Turns out getting stuck with needles in places you'd never wish needles to be stuck in will make a guy talk- too bad the information he had we already knew.

* * *

"Babysitting?" we all asked, all looking at the Hokage with varying levels of incredulity. "It's just another D-rank." the old man responded, while Naruto gestured to our team. "Do you really think any of us should be around children- Sasuke? Dattebayo?" I made an offended noise, placing a hand over my heart dramatically, "I'll have you know I'm an amazing influence on impressionable young sla- _children._" even Kakashi looked a bit skeptical, "Hokage-sama, do you really think… _my team_ should take this one? Why not the others?" Hiruzen laced his fingers together and leveled a flat look on our group, "The only available missions other than that one are painting a fence, walking dogs, dog washing, and dusting an old woman's home."

"But what's wrong with us taking any of those?" Sakura asked, crossing her arms. The old man sighed and seemed to age ten years in a matter of seconds. "The last time you painted a fence, Naruto-kun and Sasuke-kun ended up accidentally covering the client and his wife in paint. Naruto walked his dog into a minefield, and the other two members of team 7 followed after him, returning to the owner with traumatized and singed canines. Your dog washing mission last week ended in disaster, you ended up dying all the dogs in the neighborhood neon pink. Finally, yesterday you attempted to dust the same old woman's home- only to break most of her precious family heirlooms and spread the dust around rather than getting rid of it. To put it frankly, almost every D-rank you have taken has displeased the client. I'm putting my faith in you with this babysitting one- as long as you keep the child entertained and unharmed, you should be fine."

Throughout his explanation, the three genins had the decency to look guilty, while Kakashi pretended he wasn't there by burying his face into his book.

I scratched the back of my head, then gave him a thumbs-up, "Don't worry Hokage-sama, we got this." he sighed deeply, rubbing his temples. "I can only hope," Hiruzen muttered.

I don't think our encouraging smiles helped…

* * *

I looked down at the small child, squinting, "Huh, you're pretty short." the brown-haired boy huffed, crossing his arms and exclaimed hotly. "I'm six now, _I'm not short_."

Smirking, I nodded, "Uh huh, of course, Chibi-kun."

He glared.

My smirk grew wider. '_I think this mission's gonna be fun.'_

* * *

Kakashi looked up from his book, blanching when he saw the scene before him that made him do a double-take. He was pretty sure the room wasn't covered in flour ten seconds ago.

In the middle of the destruction stood none other than Sasuke, grinning deviously with their client on his back cackling. "That was awesome Nii-san!"

Sasuke preened, completely fine with letting a six-year-old feed his ego, "I know right? Wanna go cover Naru-chan with glitter next?"

The child was practically vibrating with excitement.

"YES!"

* * *

The woman at the counter scrunched her nose, looking down at the two drawings I presented. "Are you sure you want to commission a hair tie with… that print?" I cocked my head, "You didn't question my last commission- the one with the symbols last week." she looked at me incredulously, "Those were badges with a team symbol on them, this is... " she shook her head, "I'll have it made by tomorrow afternoon- _still don't understand why a kid would want something like this_."

"Thanks." I dipped my head and skipped out of the shop, eager for my new hair tie to be finished.

…

"Like my new accessory?" I asked my two teammates, showing off the immaculate black and white drawings of ahegao faces dotting the ribbon. Naruto squinted, "Whyr' there a bunch of girls on it?"

Sakura was a lovely shade of red and brought her first up to punch my head. It hit me like a ton of bricks and sent me sprawling on the floor. "What the hell Sasuke!" she screeched, looming over me. I curled in on myself, "It's just a hair tie-"

I refuse to admit that I got myself beat up by a girl with pink hair.

* * *

_**If Sasuke joined the Akatsuki; part 2**_

It was a normal morning in the Akatsuki base- Deidara soundly asleep in his bed. Snuggling into the warm sheets, he let out a content sigh. It never stayed quiet for long, so the blonde was enjoying the bliss while it lasted in his half-asleep state.

It might have been barely ten minutes later that he heard a loud yell, and a strew of curses echoing along the walls of the base. Eye twitching, Deidara tried to Blockout Hidan's annoying voice in vain. "Damn you greedy bastard! We just got back- I'm not counting your fucking money!" there was a yelp and the angry reply of; "you will do as I say, and quietly. You'll wake the whole base at this rate." Deidara groaned into his pillow, '_not like he hasn't already.'_ he snarked in his mind, throwing his legs over the side of his bed and stomping over to the dresser. Retrieving a shirt and his pouches of clay, he swung his door open, letting it hit the wall with a 'bang'.

"Will you shut the hell up un!" he yelled, already preparing to blow the Jashinist up. "You can't make me do fucking anything transy!" Hidan yelled back, fueling the blonde's anger. He stuffed his hands into his clay pouch, letting his mouth-hands eat up the substance and filling the clay with his chakra. "Who you calling transy, asshole un!"

* * *

Itachi sighed, grabbing the coffee pot and pouring himself a cup, handing another to his Otouto. "Mhmm, thanks Nii-san." Sasuke yawned, grabbing the cup and retreating to the kitchen table. Another explosion rocked the base and he sighed again, taking a seat across from the long-haired Uchiha. Sasuke's normally spiky hair was even more wild with sleep, free from its usual low ponytail. The cowlicks spiked up randomly, though the other Uchiha didn't seem to care in the slightest. His Otouto lifted his cup and gulp down the hot coffee, blinking blearily up a newly arrived Kisame, who was grumbling to himself and shuffling over to the coffeemaker. "Yo." Sasuke greeted, downing the last of the coffee and running a hand through his wild locks. Kisame grunted in acknowledgment, ruffling his already messy hair as he took a seat. Itachi dipped his head with a soft, "Morning Kisame-san."

"No need for the formalities Itachi," Kisame reminded, an amused look in his eye. The older Uchiha blinked slowly, "Very well, Kisame."

A series of loud yelps, curses, and explosions racked the base again, making Sasuke snort. "Is it always like this in the morning?" Deidara stomped into the kitchen, hair slightly singed and looking smugly satisfied. He grabbed the coffee and went to drink it straight from the pot but stopped when he felt three sets of eyes on him. The blonde sheepishly put it down, grabbing a spare cup and pouring himself the coffee like a normal person. "So, how's it going Dei-kun?" Sasuke asked with an innocent smile, his head propped up on his hand. Deidara scrunched his nose in disdain, "Dei-kun un?" he looked to be about to say something but Itachi's Otouto cut him off. "Would you prefer… 'Deidara-senpai?'' he mimicked Tobi's voice- it was kind of scary- while his lips curled into a malicious smirk, eyes glinting sadistically. His chakra hummed with amusement, while Deidara glared fiercely at the youngest in their organization. "I don't like either, you should watch what you say Uchiha un," he grumbled, sitting as far away as possible from the boy. "Ok, un."

Deidara froze and leveled another heavy glare his way, hands twitching for his clay pouch by his side. "It's a verbal tic un." Sasuke simply licked his lips and replied in the smuggest voice ever, "I know, it's pretty obvious… un."

"You little-"

Sasuke jumped up from his seat and weaved around Deidara's attempt to tackle him gracefully, sprinting from the kitchen while cackling. "UN!" he choked out between laughs. Deidara already standing and going after him, his pride insulted, shouted back, "I'm going to make you into beautiful art un!"

Itachi furrowed his brows, slightly concerned for his brother's safety, as he knew the blonde's temper could reduce the whole base to rubble if left unchecked. Perhaps it was a bad idea letting his barely fifteen-year-old Otouto join a criminal organization.

* * *

Sasuke sprinted through the halls as fast as possible, narrowly slamming into Konan as they both rounded the corner. He came to a halt, falling forward and almost face-planted if not for Konan steadying the youngest member. "Sorry, Konan-neechan." was his breathless apology, smiling sheepishly while scratching the back of his head. The boy tensed when a shout of, "Get back here un!" echoed throughout the hallway, an irate Deidara quickly advancing. Sasuke squeaked and hid behind Konan, her eyes narrowing on the blonde when he stopped in front of her. "He's trying to hurt me nee-chan." the dark-haired boy informed her, clutching the edge of her robe.

Deidara left- with more than a few paper cuts.

* * *

"What a drag," Shikamaru said blandly from his spot on the couch- only leaving his room once everything had settled down; most of the members were in the living room now. "You can sleep through anything," Sasuke replied and rolled his eyes. The youngest Uchiha yawned and laid his head down on his brother's lap, staring up at the ceiling blankly. Itachi just raised a brow and continued reading. Hidan was grumbling quietly while sharpening his scythe, Kakuzu and Sasori were reading, Kisame was rewrapping that strange sword, and Tobi was humming to himself while scribbling pictures in the sketchbook Sasuke lent him.

For a few minutes, it was silent- which was quite the oddity, considering Hidan was in the room. It was broken however when Sasuke asked; "Hey, random question. If I were to say... Leave this organization because somebody stabbed me in the back and created a rival organization because I'm petty, what should I name it? Completely rhetorical." Sasori leveled a skeptical look on the dark-haired boy and decided to humor him. "Well what ideas have you come up with so far?" he asked in a disinterested voice. Sasuke rolled his eyes, "I have one thing, but it's a ripoff of another organization from a fantasy book I read. I mean, I could go with that, but I wanted something more-" he gestured vaguely towards the ceiling, "Original? I wouldn't name it dusk because that's too much a blatant nod to Akatsuki... " he trailed off, squinting his eyes in thought.

"The Jashinists," Hidan said wisely, nodding his head. "Nobody will mess with you- but you need all your members to worship Jashin."

Sasuke turned and stared at Hidan through half-lidded eyes, "That's just a cult- there's already a Jashinist cult, or there was. I'm not really sure." he scrunched his nose, glancing at Shikamaru. "Any more ideas?"

"Oh oh- pick Tobi!" the orange masked individual jumped up and frantically waved his arms. "Yessssssss… Tobi?"

"Ninja-peace-helper-friends! Ninjas because you are a ninja and peace helpers cause you strive for peace and friends because you are all friends!" he said all in one breath, bouncing excitedly in place. Sasuke blinked, staring at Tobi blankly for a moment, before he sat up and plastered an overly excited grin on his face. "Wow that sounds great Tobi!" he said cheerfully, jumping up and grabbing the secret Uchiha by the waist and lifting him, spinning around. Itachi stared in perfectly concealed shock, and something akin to horror as he watched his Otouto getting touchy-feely with who he believed to be Madara.

"WEEEEE!" Tobi laughed, eyes narrowing at Sasuke behind his mask, cringing when his ribs felt like they were breaking from the force of the hug.

"You know Tobi, I think we'll be the best of friends," Sasuke concluded, lips stretching into a smile that made shivers run down Obito's spine.

Itachi looked on exasperatedly as Sasuke dragged 'Tobi' off to help in his art, sighing once they disappeared out of the room.

Hidan scowled, "Fucker didn't even choose a damn name." he grumbled, making Kakuzu roll his eyes.

* * *

"It's human nature not to realize the true value of something, unless they lose it." – Orochimaru

* * *

"No one cared who I was until I put on a mask." – Obito Uchiha

* * *

**FIN**


	14. Author's Note

Hello! I know how much I hate author's notes in the middle of stories, so I'm including a snippet from the next chapter and a brand _spanking_ new Omake as consolation.

Anyways, I've been a sad, unproductive human being lately, and I've been working on my art more instead of my writing. And when I do write, it's random extras and new stories I'm probably never gonna finish-

Yeah, I've got a major lack of motivation for writing the wave arc right now.

On an additional note, I also have a mostly completed complete rewrite of the first chapter, for a rewrite of this story that I haven't finished yet…

So the rewrite would be a thing after this story is done, and the rewrite is gonna have a lot more chapters and childhood stuff probably. I'll actually do some productive research for it too, to make it better than _eva_!

So yeah, I'm not gonna start this story over with a rewrite and scrap this story, since this is a mark of improvement and is basically a guide for the rewrite that is coming..

After this story and it's rewrite I'd probably work on 'Pinwheels are overrated', and start by editing the first chapter then working on the second.

Anyways, here's a sneak peek and Omake!

* * *

_**Sneak peek ;)**_

Once we straightened ourselves out- Kakashi threatening us with Youthful Training Course 15, the old man Hizruzen made a gesture to let the client in. Once the older man who smelled of booze took a few steps into the room and opened his mouth to make some offensive remark, I smirked. '_I know where this is going…'_

"These are the 'great ninja' that are supposed to guard me? They're just a bunch of brats, and the short one doesn't look that bright." The man remarked, taking a swig of the cheap beer, making me scrunch my nose in disgust. "Well, brats, you'll be guarding me, Tazuna the Great bridge builder while I finish my bridge in the land of waves."

Kakashi held back an irate Naruto, sighing and half-heartedly chastising the blonde. "Now now Naruto, you can't attack the client- no matter how disrespectful they are."

"Can't we just push him out the window and say he tripped dattebayo?"

* * *

_**Omake; To the past- again!**_

Cackling, I retrieved the old, worn scroll from the Uchiha archives, the same one I used what felt like so many years ago. I unfurled it, coughing when I accidentally inhaled some dust particles. Sniffling, I stuffed it in my pocket and shunshined out of the empty clan library, making my way to a training ground on the edge of the village. Glancing around, I called out, "Nii-san! Are you here yet?" I heard a sigh, and Itachi materialized out of a flock of crows and shot me an exasperated look. "You do realize we can't meet as regularly since our encounter in the hotel as it will draw suspicion?" I waved him off, "Psh, its _fiiine_, no one's gonna bother us out here anyway." he raised a fine brow, before poking my forehead- much to my chagrin. "Silly Otouto" he shook his head, before chuckling lightly at my pout. "Alright, anywho…" I pulled out the scroll, watching as his eyes widened a fraction, before narrowing. "We can't abuse this kind of power Sasuke; tampering with other people's worlds." Grabbing the sleeve of his Akatsuki cloak, I offered a reassuring smile. "I wanted to do this to make things better in a past that we cannot reach in our own."

His eyes lost that sharp look, and I let go, knowing he understood what I meant. "I can't let you go on your own. What kind of older sibling would I be if I did?" Itachi said more for himself than me. "What's happened cannot be erased or changed, but we can help our other selves and loved ones flourish in a brighter future." with that I unfurled the scroll, looking it over while activating my dojutsu. It was such a simple yet complicated jutsu- one that needed someone with a Sharingan to activate. The first time Itachi had done it- not really aiming for a particular destination and we ended up in present time. My lips lifted into a smirk, for I had a certain time period in mind, the era that began this whole mess in the first place. Itachi had gently grasped my arm, the hands holding up the unfurled scroll that began to warp while my eyes tingled. Chakra enveloped the both of us, and my vision twisted to show me a scene reminiscent of a movie format- which is unsurprising, considering I knew only the event from an anime in another life.

I heard Itachi suck in a sharp breath beside me, then white took over my vision, making me screw my eyes shut on instinct. A few moments later the blinding light dissipated, and my senses returned to me. I could smell trees, earth, blood, and sweat… _huh_? My eyelids flew open and I was met with two very surprised parties consisting of Senju and Uchiha. What seemed like the Uchiha leader squinted at me in suspicion, likely acknowledging me as an Uchiha but never having seen me before- and the Senju guy, who glared at me in open hostility. I grinned when I spotted a young Madara and Izuna, as well as their Senju counterparts next to what I assumed their fathers. "Yes! It worked Itachi, look at how cute the not-so-threatening Madara looks!" my eyes creased with mirth while Itachi stood slightly in front of me, warily eyeing the two platoons. "How do you know my name?" Madara said with a deadly edge to his voice, cutting off whatever his father was going to say. "Cause you are famous and your hair is _awesome_." was my cheery explanation, giggling at the gobsmacked expressions from both sides.

"An Uchiha that doesn't act like an Uchiha." Tobirama muttered, scrutinizing me while a Senju female squealed and looked at me with wide eyes, "He's so cute!" Well, I was a 13-year-old boy- so I supposed I fell into the 'cute little kiddies' category… one of the Uchiha girls blushed, and I realized that maybe I might have doomed this world with my irresistible physical appearance. Because when someone from a clan full of good looking people fawns over you, you know you are in a tier above the average hottie. The Uchiha clan head's eyes narrowed, "just who are you?" Well, that was an easy question to answer. "Uchiha Sasuke, clan head-ku- _Sama_." Itachi seemed content on keeping silent, but answered anyway with a polite, "Uchiha Itachi." The man responded a moment later, "There are no Uchiha named 'Itachi' or 'Sasuke' in the clan." my grin simply turned devious, "Ah, but that's the magic of space-time isn't it?" that got a few incredulous looks. "You're from the future?" Hashirama spoke up for the first time since we arrived, ignoring the scowl sent his way by his father. "Yep, isn't that incredible?" I laughed airily, resting my hands on my hips.

"So, we came back to stop you from fighting, simple."

They blinked Owlishly, everyone appraising me with looks varying from disbelief to 'this guy is crazy af.'

"You came back in time to stop the endless war? Do you believe peace between us is possible?" Hashirama asked, growing more excited at the thought. "Yep, in fact, you guys stop fighting eventually, but it just costs more lives and creates a supervillain who wants to take over the world in the process. Not a very good conclusion huh?" Hashiama nodded seriously, "It's a relief the war ends someday, but-" he looked at Madara, "if we can end it here and now…"

"Absolutely not! What about all the Senju- the children, the vile Uchiha took from us! Do you expect us to just forget about them and let their deaths be in vain?!" The Senju clan head exclaimed, the Uchiha matriarch said something similar, basically, both of them were stuck in the past, troublesome.

"If you continue fighting, that number will only grow. I would be wise to put your hatred aside for the prosperity of future generations." Itachi spoke out, his voice clear across the battlefield. I happily noted many of both sides pause and let his words sink in, or at least give them some thought. "Otou-sama, this bloodshed needs to end," Hashirama said sternly, then smiled at his best friend. "Madara, we can end the fighting together."

"Honestly, you and Maddie can stop the fighting once and for all, unlike your fathers. You possess the will and power to do so. Just something to think about." I put in helpfully.

The Senju clan head turned to me with a snarl, "And why should we trust you? For all we know, what you say could lead us to our deaths, the death of the Senju."

All the cheekiness melted off my face in an instant, my features settling into a blank, unsettling stare. The Senju faltered briefly under the intensity in my eyes, even without the Sharingan for emphasis. "If you don't stop fighting." my voice was cold, "Then the Uchiha _and_ the Senju will eventually die out. My brother and I are two of three Uchiha left(Obito is dead to me), and as far as I know, there's only one Senju, maybe another if you count my best friend, though he's more Uzumaki."

My eyes bled into the red pattern of the Sharingan and I cringed at the tingling sensation crawling along my skin. "Our time is about up here."

"Welp." I clapped my hands, serious demeanor vanishing and replaced with my usual cheeriness. "There's one thing I want to do before we go, Nii-san."

Itachi eyed me warily, "Don't do anything unwise Otouto-" the words were barely out of his mouth before I shunshined in front of Madara abruptly, offering a grin and leaping at him. Wrapping my arms around the startled Uchiha in a hug, and nuzzling my face into his cheek, I whispered, "Maddie-sama, a word of advice, _don't_ trust plant men- 'created' by you or not."

"Um, ok?" Madara said, seconds away from incinerating me for daring to touch his bodacious bod. Itachi appeared next to me in a flock of crows when I backed away from the group of Uchiha. He took my outstretched hand and I offered one last wink to my ancestors, and a middle finger to the matriarch. "Love you guys! Fuck you clan head dude."

Those were my parting words as we vanished from the clearing, and not a second later appeared back in the clearing we were before. I gasped as my eyes throbbed, not as bad as the mangekyo I'd reckon, but I definitely strained my eyes using this technique. Though it's kind of unsettling how easily we traveled back in time with such ease with only the base Sharingan.

I paused, then I shrugged, "I suppose they stopped using the technique since it's probably impossible to travel back in time in the same timeline. The sage of six paths could probably do it though…" I mumbled to myself, before shaking my head and trying to keep the bile from rising up my throat. Time-Travel effects were _not_ pleasant.

"Um, Nii-san?"

Itachi quirked a brow, "Yes Sasuke?"

I squinted my eyes, "Could you hide this-" I shoved the space-time scroll into his hands, "Somewhere the Evil lollipop of doom won't find it? Oh, by the way, the masked man isn't Madara."

Before he could ask any questions, I quickly added in, "Future sight powers remember?" _I'm so full of bullshit._

He dipped his head, "Of course Otouto… we _are_ having a talk about this later though." his tone left no room for debate, which I responded to with a light smile. "Yeah, I kinda saw that coming."

He turned to leave, probably figuring the time spent here was teetering on foolishness, since the Anbu could find him at any moment. "Wait-" I wrapped my arms around him in a farewell hug, crinkling my eyes. "Stay safe, Itachi."

I felt a pair of arms return the embrace briefly, before he murmured, "You too, Sasuke."

He vanished, just as I heard the rustling of leaves and heavy breathing. Naruto appeared in the clearing a moment later, scowling at me, "Finally found you teme! Do you know how long I've been looking for you dattebayo?!"

Smirking, I shrugged, "Dunno dobe."

"Teme, you were supposed to meet me at Ichiraku's an hour ago! Come on." he grabbed my arm roughly, and started dragging me along with him while I snickered.

"It's a ramen date then."

"Yea- wait a minute… _Sasuke!_"

* * *

"I'm an Uchiha, it's only natural I'm better than you in every way."

* * *

Don't worry, Ch. 14 is in the works


	15. Chapter 14

**This is a shorter chapter than usual, mainly it's purpose serves to get the wave mission out of the way, while being entertaining and to the point. The next chapter will be the start of the chunnin exams and some other stuff.**

**For all intents and purposes, enjoy.**

* * *

_"'To say what's the point of risking and trying?' is really uncool!"- KT(Ferry.)_

* * *

"Because you've been complaining- and almost every client who got your team for a D-rank refuses to allow you to take theirs again(Which is the majority of Konoha, and the D-ranks available), you're going to be participating on a C-rank escort mission- please, _please_, don't mess this up."

The Hokage begged, Iruka looking stern next to him at the missions desk. We had just brought in a singed and traumatized Tora- good thing Sakura knows medical stuff cause I think it might have broken a leg at some point.

I waved a hand dismissively, dutifully ignoring the glare my former sensei leveled in my direction, "don't worry, team 7's got this- _plus_ since we're so destructive when we're doing non-combat oriented tasks, any resistance we encounter will wish they never crossed our path."

Naruto did a little dance, "I'm doing a real mission! Who re' we gonna be escorting Jiji? A princess? A super important merchant? The daimyo-"

Sakura cut him off, punching his head, making the blonde faceplant. "Show some more tact Naruto! Do you want Hokage-sama to take our first important mission back?"

In the background, Iruka could be heard saying, "But all missions are important…"

He was ignored.

Once we straightened ourselves out- Kakashi threatening us with Youthful Training Course 15, the old man Hiruzen made a gesture to let the client in. Once the older man who smelled of booze took a few steps into the room and opened his mouth to make some offensive remark, I smirked. '_I know where this is going…'_

"These are the 'great ninja' that are supposed to guard me? They're just a bunch of brats, and the short one doesn't look that bright." The man remarked, taking a swig of the cheap beer, making me scrunch my nose in disgust. "Well, brats, you'll be guarding me, Tazuna the Great bridge builder while I finish my bridge in the land of waves."

Kakashi held back an irate Naruto, sighing and half-heartedly chastising the blonde. "Now now Naruto, you can't attack the client- no matter how disrespectful they are."

"Can't we just push him out the window and say he tripped dattebayo?"

Running a hand through his gravity-defying hair, the Jōnin muttered something about needing another drink after this, then leveled a stern, one-eyed look Naruto's way. "Calm yourself."

Naruto pouted but relented, Kakashi letting go of the blonde slowly, as if expecting him to leap at the man the second he was let go. I pat Naruto on the shoulder in sympathy, "It's alright Naru-chan, we'll get retribution, be patient."

Tazuna paled when my lips curled into a malicious smile, Naruto mirroring mine a second later.

Sakura shook her head in exasperation, "Boys."

Kakashi looked back at our client, creasing his eye in a mimicry of a smile, however, his tone was sharp. "I assure you Tazuna-san, they are more than capable of guarding you against the run of the mill bandit or thug. It'd be wise to have more faith in the shinobi you hired."

Tazuna looked increasingly nervous and suspicious, especially when Kakashi mentioned how we're only likely to run into a stray bandit or two. The drunk sniffed indignantly, however, he was more… well, not pleasant, more like resigned. "Besides, I'm a Jōnin, an elite shinobi, anything we run into out there will be taken out easily enough."

I glanced between my teammates, all of us sharing a look, silently agreeing that the bridge builder was hiding something, and vowing to figure out what it was. I already knew of course, but mentioning anything would probably lead to all sorts of questions, ones that I really didn't feel like answering. So, with an airy voice and an overly cheerful demeanor, I planted my hands on my hips, and gave the man a too-wide smile that showed far too many teeth.

"I'm going to enjoy guarding you, _Tazuna-san_."

He inched away from me and my teammates, who mimicked me a moment later.

Kakashi shook his head fondly, "I'm _really_ going to need a drink after this."

* * *

We were all told to go pack and meet Kakashi and our client at the village gates in an hour; fortunately, I had already packed beforehand since ya know, future stuff. So I had an hour to kill before we set out on our _epic_ journey.

Humming the tune to some random depressing song from my first life, I flitted about the street, heading for nowhere in particular. When I looked up, I was mildly surprised.

Blinking slowly, I tilted my head, curious as to why my feet led me here.

The memorial stone was devoid of its usual visitor, Kakashi.

Taking a few more steps, I stood in front of the marble memorial and crouched down, running a finger down the names engraved there- pausing a moment longer on the name '_Uchiha Obito.'_

"Hmm, Obito." I murmured, feeling my face subconsciously slip into a careful blank mask to hide my irritation.

Shaking my head, I sighed and stood, turning to leave and head to the Uchiha compound to pick up my pack. A thought gave me pause, making me glance back at the stone once last time.

"Are you satisfied now, Obito?"

Though whispered, it sounded loud in the silent clearing, nothing but the breeze and birdsong to fill the void.

My lips twitched minutely, too bad no one was around to hear it.

* * *

"Aw yeah! This is so cool dattebayo!" Naruto laughed, making Sakura sigh. "We're only just outside the village gates Naruto."

He didn't seem to hear her, instead doing a little dance, "It's our first time outside the village Sasuke, isn't this awesome?"

I looked up from my book, giving him a blank look, "Hn?"

Naruto rolled his eyes, "Don't be a Kakashi sensei Teme."

"But these Icha Icha books aren't that bad."

Kakashi body-flickered next to me, plucking the orange novel from my fingers. "There it is- bad student, don't steal from your sensei '' he reprimanded, and I made a show of pouting with an exaggerated downcast expression.

Tazuna grumbled something about a bunch of brats' under his breath, making me narrow my eyes.

"What'd you say old fart?!" Naruto yelled, making Sakura rub her temples in irritation and Kakashi sigh.

I simply smiled, discreetly throwing a senbon to hit a cicada in a tree, Kakashi sparing me a glance for a moment, then stepped in to stop Sakura from joining Naruto in the murdering of our client.

* * *

When we came across the fabled puddle smack dab in the middle of our route. I was unable to prevent a grin from creeping onto my face, and pretended to ignore my teammates questioning looks. "Ohmygosh! I _love_ jumping in pools of water- _though it hasn't rained in weeks so that's pretty strange_\- but whatever!" I exclaimed excitedly and made a show of jumping dramatically into the fake water. It was only but a moment later that the so-called demon brothers called off their facade and attacked.

They were pathetically easy, though when Kakashi decided to be a dick and pretend to die was pretty annoying. After all was said and done Kakashi tied the pair to a tree and left them for a patrol to pick them up. Of course, Naruto somehow still got cut, though it was very minor.

The blonde shouted an inspiring speech that I couldn't be bothered to remember and stabbed his hand- right over where Sakura bandaged him. "You idiot!" she growled, raising a fist to pummel the cowering boy. "P-please Sakura-chan- Sasuke! Help me!"

I simply revealed in his suffering like the good best friend I am.

* * *

"GET DOWN!" Kakashi commanded, the three genins pressing themselves flat to the ground- and just in time, as a giant sword cleaved through the air where they had been a moment ago and dug into a tree on the other side of the clearing.

The Jonin narrowed his eye when the famed 'Demon of the mist', Momoichi Zabuza made a show of shunshining onto the handle of the sword, watching as Sakura and Naruto tensed when the nuke-nin started leaking killing intent like it was in fashion. "Momoch- '' Kakashi started but was cut off by his eccentric Uchiha student.

"Wow, what an honor meeting such an infamous nin," Sasuke began, his lips curling up in a grin, "But what brings The great demon of the Mist to this shithole, attacking a poor genin team?"

"So you've heard of me? Maybe leaf genin have some-" Sasuke cut him off with a wave of his hand and a dramatic, "BORING! I mean come on! Generic villain dialogue yadda-yadda. I don't think any of us have the time for that, sooo…" Sasuke tilted his head to the side, and held up a finger, "3, 2, 1."

Kakashi wondered what the hell his student was planning, when suddenly another Sasuke emerged from the bushes, a smug smirk on his lips and a scroll in his right hand. "Aw, thanks for getting here in time me 2.0." Sasuke thanked the clone with a smile, while it nodded his head and tossed him the scroll, disappearing in a puff of smoke.

"Teme… you know how to make shadow clones?!" Naruto pointed at the Uchiha dramatically, "Why didn't you tell me dattebayo-"

He was ignored and the raven-haired boy waved around the scroll, gaining the missing-nin's attention. "I see the question in your eyes, ok, I'll tell you of my amazing plans and stuff." he announced, before smiling wickedly. "Inside this scroll is Gato's head, and evidence that the old geezer planned on betraying you in the end. So doesn't that make us allies at best and neutral at worst?" he tossed the scroll Zabuza's way, "We can end this confrontation on friendly terms, there's no need for needless bloodshed."

Zabuza laughed, palming the scroll, "You're not half bad, it's true I planned on killing him once the job was done but it seems you took the liberty before me."

"Welp~" Sasuke chirped, cheerily turning to the rest of his team, "That went smoothly hn?"

* * *

They were all back at the bridge builder's house having dinner, Zabuza and his apprentice having stuck around after all was said and done. The feminine boy showed up after the truce, and introduced himself as Haku. We hung out for another week until the bridge was finished with no delays, and promptly named 'The great team seven bridge.' I tried to push for it to be named 'The Great Uchiha bridge' but that idea was shot down like lighting by Kakashi._(I'm still kinda ticked off about that.)_

Overall, the mission was a success, and everyone lived this time around. While Kakashi wasn't looking I slipped the pair of nuke-nins secret invitations to my organization before we left, not leaving them alone until I was promised to get their answer within the next month via letter.

Yep, for once in my second life, everything was going alright.

* * *

"Ah, what a successful first C-rank mission, that went better than what I expected to be honest."

Sakura nodded, "Yeah, I never saw that shadow clone coming," she paused and backtracked, a bit flustered, "I mean, you're awesome Sasuke, of course you'd think of something like that."

"I still don't get it…" Naruto pouted, "when did you even summon the clone teme?" I grinned, cupping a hand around my mouth and stage whispered, "When I killed that cicada at the beginning of the mission- all a part of my evil plan." he scrunched his nose in confusion before I elaborated. "The needle was the clone, just henged. I made a handful of them that I store in a special scroll- took a hell of a long time considering my reserves and all, but it was worth it."

"Oh, I get it." Sakura commented, "You decided to send a shadow clone ahead because we all agreed the bridge builder was sketchy, and you wanted to investigate before we arrived?"

"Yep! My exact line of thought, you're so smart Sakura!" _Well, not exactly since I know the future and all but still, I'm amazing_. The rosette blushes, "T-thanks Sasuke-kun."

"I already knew how to make shadow clones…" Naruto said dejectedly, making Kakashi pat him on the shoulder. "It's-" he took a swig of _something(Water?)_ from a canteen, "-Alright Naruto, you can spam them, Sasuke can't." The silver-haired Jonin patted him once more for good measure, and set off, claiming he was going to hang out with the other Jonin teachers at a bar.

Once our lazy sensei turned the corner I latched onto my two teammates, dragging them along with me as I made my way through the leaf village streets. "I think we deserve some nice _Ichiraku_ ramen," was my response to their protests. Naruto began salivating and nodded rapidly, "Hell yeah! Come on guys." soon it was him dragging us to his favorite stand, all three of us in high spirits, cracking jokes, and chatting about anything and everything.

It was a pretty good afternoon.

* * *

_**Omake; If Sasuke joined the Akatsuki, part 3**_

It was one of those days that everyone was present at the base, Sasuke and Shikamaru being the last ones to come back from a mission.

Deidara walked into the living room with a yawn, taking a seat next to his partner, Sasori; Everyone was in the room(Excluding Pein and Konan) and were all doing something or another, Sasuke in his usual spot on his brother and Shikamaru fast asleep on an armchair. Deidara frowned when he noticed an icepack on the youngest member's eyes, secretly concerned about the other artist.

Despite what the other Akatsuki members besides Itachi and Kisame said- _since Both mentioned were honest about their fondness for the boy, Konan as well to a certain degree_\- had gotten rather attached to their newest members rather quickly, the Nara being a fresh of breath air, and the Uchiha brightening the dreary base without trying that hard.

Shikamaru was a sane shoulder to lean on, and excellent for mature and intelligent conversation, despite his age- though it was expected.

Sasuke was a strange person-, especially for an Uchiha.

When he first saw the boy, Itachi's kid brother, Deidara didn't really know what to expect- well, maybe someone like the stoic, quiet Uchiha if he thought about it.

The boy was off the handle of normality, certainly insane, but had a special eye for art. When Deidara was reprimanded by Sasori the first morning the Nara and Uchiha joined- for blowing Hidan up- as usual, the younger boy was immediately fascinated by his art. He had this almost goofy grin on his face as he watched the blonde creating bombs and molding clay.

When questioned, the Uchiha shrugged, and adopted a crazed glint in his dark eyes, and answered, "I'm a pyromaniac, watching you blow up that immortal guy provides great entertainment, especially in the morning."

When the two took a mission together for the first time, they found they were kindred souls, both of the younger members connecting and forming a bond over blowing random shit(and people) to smithereens.

Sasuke had also formed a bond with the only female Akatsuki member, the blue-haired woman adopting a big sister/motherly disposition towards the boy. They often hung out in Itachi's room, sometimes with the Uchiha himself, staying in there for hours with snacks they confiscated from the kitchen.

No one knew what they did or talked about- and no one cared or were brave enough to ask either. Even Pein was at a loss, amusing the blonde bomber when a flicker of disappointment crossed the ginger's face when Konan abandoned him for Sasuke.

Drawing his attention away from his musings and back to the present, Deidara cleared his throat. "What happened Sasuke un?"

The Uchiha turned his head in the blonde's direction, setting his unseeing gaze on the terrorist, "I overused my eyes- they throb and I want to punch something." was his even reply, but the other members could tell he was irritated.

Sasori looked up from the puppet arm he was tinkering with, offering, "You could punch Hidan."

Said Jashinist glared-though Sasuke couldn't see it- "Like the pansy could fucking hit me, his damn eyes aren't working." his voice turned smug at the end.

Everyone watched as Sasuke abruptly sat up, a wicked smile blooming on his lips(Hidan was glad the Uchiha's unsettling stare couldn't penetrate through the cloth.)

"Oh really, is that a _challenge?_"

Hidan scoffed, "You can't fucking see," he replied, tensing when Sasuke's smile curled into a grin full of teeth, "_That doesn't matter-_ Tobi-chan? Can you get my kunai pouch on the floor?" he pointed to it next to the Nara, and the masked man nodded enthusiastically. "Of course Sasuke-kun!"

Once he had said pouch in his grasp, faster than Hidan could detect, senbon appeared in Sasuke's hand and they were thrown- three piercing his… unmentionables.

"Fuck- _SHIT!_" Hidan cursed, reaching to yank the needles out- only for his entire arm to be immediately peppered with more of them. He lost feeling in his arm, the limb dangling uselessly at his side.

The Akatsuki watched as Hidan quickly turned into a human porcupine, a needle hitting his throat making him unable to yell decipherable words.

The Jashinist lay immobile on the floor, hundreds of senbon stuck everywhere on his body- and not a single one missed its mark.

They looked at the Uchiha with a newfound weird kind of respect, the boy proving he was just as dangerous with his favored weapon without his fancy eyes.

"That was awesome un," Deidara grinned, high fiving Sasuke with a laugh. The youngest Uchiha adopted a smug smirk, "I just wish I could see- _wait_, quickly get the camera from my room Deidara."

The blonde exchanged a mischievous smirk with him, immediately shunshining to his room and back in record time.

"Oh this is _gold _un," Deidara cackled, making Sasuke nod sagely.

Itachi sighed, patting his Otouto on the head in fond exasperation.

Sasuke simply basked in his own ego.

* * *

_"There's no other way- cause some things are simply meant to be contained, and one of them is me." -KT(Ferry)_

* * *

_"Don't bother lying to me, I can see right through you. Liars know liars after all." -?_

* * *

***Holds up fist in a maniacal and threatening manner* Reality can be whatever I desire!**


End file.
